Power Enriched by the Heart
by Asher Tye
Summary: AU of the SegaSonic universe.  When Sonic finds a seemingly abandoned fox cub on the streets of Station Square, he suddenly becomes the target of an evil organization bent on world domination and its deadly enforcer, Shadow.
1. Prologue

Power Enriched by the Heart

by Asher Tye

Disclaimer: Sega owns Sonic and crew, and that includes Robotnik and Shadow. I'm not sure who owns the other characters, whether it be Archie, DiC, or whoever did Sonic Underground, but I know it's not me so whichever one owns them I give full props to.

Author's Note: This is a complete re-imagining of the Sonicverse games series, in particular Sonic Adventure and onward where they actually tried to re-imagine the characters anyway. I've tried my best to keep the characters' personalities in character, baring the few I've only heard about and never seen in action, but I've rewritten their personal histories, relationships, and the nature of the world they find themselves in. It still follows the same pattern as the video games, a heroic blue hedgehog and his friends and allies save the world from an egg-shaped madman bent on conquering it, but I think I've added some interesting twists to the characters' collective origins.

Since the background of the world is somewhat tied into the story, I can't really say much here about it, but I can give you the basics. Mobians exist on Earth alongside humans and they comprise about thirty to thirty-five percent of the world's total population, enough to be a viable population of their own. While generally accepted in the human population, they typically aren't embraced by humanity, and in some cases not even tolerated. Due to constant contact with humans most have adopted several human ways, the wearing of clothing probably being the one that gets the most notice.

Warning: It should be obvious from the rating, but I'm going to state it for the record anyway that this story contains violence as well as minor swearing. There are also some adult situations implied, but nothing explicit, so don't go expecting this to turn into a lemon at any point. If I feel I need to up the rating a bit I will, but this story won't have reason to rise above Teen, if it even gets to that.

Okay, I think I've gotten everything out of the way now. For any of those who don't know, I've actually managed to work up some character drawings based on how I think the characters need to look for this story, the links to which are in my bio page if you're interested. Now then ON WITH THE SHOW!

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He ran through the corridors of the complex, the claws of his small bare feet making soft clicking sounds as they connected with the tiles, even as the sound of sirens blared all around him, signaling his escape attempt. The back of the musty gray cloak he wore billowed behind him like a thick cape, a glimmer of bright yellowish-orange and white fur showing underneath. As he made it to the end of a hallway and turned right, the creature skidded to a halt as he was confronted by three humans wearing Kevlar body armor and bearing rifles. The men jumped a little at their target's sudden appearance, but whatever surprise they felt was only momentary as each pointed their weapon at his body.

"Hold it right there!" one of the guards ordered. Of course this was not a command the fugitive could obey and he quickly turned on his heel to go in the other direction. The sudden movement proved enough to pull the hood of his cloak back down off his head, revealing a youthful fox underneath. As it became apparent the kit was not about to obey, the lead guard sighted his weapon and pulled the trigger. Before the bullet could leave the gun's barrel however, an arm from an unseen assailant struck it, deflecting the shot into a wall.

"IDIOT!" screamed what looked to be a teenaged black and red hedgehog with upturned quills wearing an immaculate looking blood red coat. The collar of the coat was raised to hide his neck and its long bottom fell around his knees, while underneath was a midnight black shirt covering his torso, save for a small tuft of white fur on his chest. A matching pair of red pants covered the creature's legs, with large black boots covering his feet and rising well past his ankles. His hands were adorned with gloves that seemed almost like gauntlets as they covered half of his forearms in addition to his hands, the material done in black to match the motif of the outfit. All things considered, the hedgehog cut a fearsome visage that startled the all too human guards. Fearful of an attack, the other two guards pointed their own rifles at the intruding hedgehog, only to watch him slice their guns in half with a blurry swipe of his powerful arm. "We have to catch C2, not kill him! Use the tranquilizers you stupid apes."

"B," barked a voice from the hedgehog's wrist. Quickly the hedgehog looked at the two-way communicator attached to his wrist. "What is your status?"

"C2's been spotted, Doctor, but I had to give him a momentary reprieve," he stated bluntly, continuing before the one he was communing with could ask the obvious question. "Some of your loaners got a little too gung-ho and tried to exterminate C2 with bullets."

"What!" the voice shrieked. "Shadow, we've worked too long and too hard to sacrifice that boy; do not allow him to be killed! I want him caught and caged, do you hear me?"

"Not a problem, Doctor. He may have eluded me, but he missed the turn to go downstairs. It's only a matter of time before he's cornered, either in the building or on the roof."

"How you do it is unimportant, hedgehog, just get me that fox!" With that the line went dead.

More and more the hallways twisted and turned as the foxy escapee moved though them, running on all fours now in an effort to increase his speed, even at the cost of some control. Twice more he had bumped into the fearsome guards that were even now attempting to corral him, and twice more he'd managed to evade capture. A turn to the right made it three. Unable to stop this time, the kit sprang from the ground, slamming into the face of one of the two men who had moved to block him, knocking him to his back on the ground. Grabbing the edges of his cloak, the boy rolled himself into a ball and tumbled away. The thickness of the garment, coupled with the speed the fox was rolling at, managed to deflect a dart that had fired from the remaining guard's gun.

"C2 is heading for a sealed hallway in corridor twenty dash five. All units converge on him," the guard spoke into his walkie-talkie. Indeed the fox soon did find himself confronted by a sealed door blocking his path. He shivered in fear, his ears listening to the distant sounds of heavy boots falling on the tiled floor that signaled his pursuers' imminent arrival. Looking around, the young cub trembled with the realization that he was trapped if he couldn't get through the door. Spotting the card reader the employees of the complex used to open such barriers themselves, the short kit stood on his tip-toes as he reached up to it, placing a hand over the entire machine. For a second the vulpine's gentle blue eyes seemed to glow an electric blue just before the door suddenly slid open.

"Stop!" came an all too familiar voice the fleeing prisoner didn't even bother to turn around for as he bolted through the closing door. A smile came to the boy's face as he saw a window leading outside at the end of the next hallway. Halfway to it, though, the sound of the door sliding rather hastily caused the kit to pause in his movements and finally look back. Standing next to the now severely dented door that had once barred his own path was the familiar form of Shadow, a look of annoyance in his blood-red eyes as he began to stomp purposefully towards his quarry, the steady beat of his boots echoing off the walls of the corridor. Realizing his peril; the fox tore across the floor like a demon unleashed, determined to get away from the hedgehog intent of catching him. Swearing under his breath, Shadow sped up his pace, quickly devouring the distance between himself and the fleeing fox. Fortune favored the bold little boy this time as he crashed through the window, catching hold of the metal frame of the fire escape on the outside of the building. Quickly the fox scampered up to the roof, and hopefully to freedom, as his nearly monochromatic pursuer stuck his head out of the window.

"Damn it. You're getting to be a real pain kid, you really are." Knocking out the rest of the shattered glass, Shadow continued the chase, watching as the dark shape of the boy's cloak disappeared over the edge of the roof. "All units, C2 is on the roof. Get some restraints up here immediately!" Shadow quickly made it to the roof and caught sight of the kit as he looked out over the edge of the roof. Thankfully the helipad was empty as the helicopter had been taken earlier, a fact that lessened the chance of the young creature actually succeeding in his escape attempt. Dark thunderclouds filled the sky overhead, signaling a coming rain storm; something Shadow was not looking forward to being out in if he could help it. A gust of cold wind caught the bottom of the hedgehog's coat, making it fan out around its owner's hips as a bolt of lightning shot through the sky to illuminate his form. Calmly but determinedly, the hedgehog approached the frightened fox, the rigidity of his body communicating his no nonsense attitude as the escaped vulpine turned around to face him, fear in his eyes. A small smile crept to the hedgehog's face as he watched his quarry fidget, shifting his weight from left to right and back again as he prepared to attempt to evade capture.

"It's no use kid, you may be quick, but I'm quicker," Shadow said as he got closer, his voice even so as not to frighten the boy into doing something stupid. "You had a good run, but it's over now. If you come quietly and obediently like a good boy, I promise not to hurt you." The fox continued to shift his weight uneasily, obviously not liking his options, not that Shadow could really blame him. The hedgehog knew very well just what would happen to the fox once he was in the Doctor's possession again, but those were the breaks. As if to accent the point of the unfairness of life, the storm overhead broke and Shadow felt his outfit grow damp with water.

Suddenly the kit jumped up onto the wet edge of the roof, causing Shadow to stop dead in his tracks. A sharp laugh escaped the hedgehog's lips as he got the message the vulpine was sending him, even as he doubted in the boy's fortitude to pull it off.

"What do you expect to do kid; jump?" The fox nodded slowly, timidly. "Think clearly for a moment. You're twenty stories off the ground, and that's not even counting the cliff we're sitting on top of. Get down from there, come over here, and maybe I can talk the Doctor into cutting you some slack over tonight's little escapade… Hah, you definitely showed us where our weaknesses are." Once more Shadow approached the fox, his gloved hand extended in a friendly gesture as he did so. The kit's ears drooped and his shoulders sagged as he realized his defeat, his legs bending as he prepared to hop down. Suddenly, the door to the building's roof access opened as four guards exited, three of which held their weapons pointed and ready to fire while the fourth held a special restraint in his hands. Unfortunately the loud bang generated by their slamming of the door proved enough to startle the precariously perched vulpine as he began to slip on the now wet roof, his body faltering as he began to lose his balance. Mistaking this for an escape, the three armed guards fired their weapons and Shadow's eyes widened in horror as he saw three darts filled with a sedating liquid strike home upon the fox's chest and belly. In addition to delivering their payload, the force of the strikes proved enough to send the kit tilting completely backwards and over the roof's edge. Desperate, Shadow raced forward to catch the boy, but his reflexes proved too slow to make the catch and he watched helplessly as the kit tumbled down.

The black and red hedgehog had spoken the truth about the cliff the complex was sitting on, but he'd neglected to mention the rather fast river running at the base of the cliff, a river the fox was currently diving head first into. Shadow held his breath as he listened to the "kerplunk" sound of a body hitting the water, his enhanced eyes straining to see any sign of the fox in the distant water below. A lightning strike cut down a dead tree standing near the river sending its trunk into the water just in time for Shadow to see a damp, orange hand grab onto it.

"Thank goodness for small miracles," the hedgehog murmured as he watched the nearly unconscious fox as he managed to pull himself safely upon the downed tree, his still form riding the newly created log out of even Shadow's advanced sight. Quickly the hedgehog lifted his wrist communicator to his lips. "Doctor, we have a problem. C2 got knocked into the river below us."

"What? Is he all right? Do you have him?"

"Negative sir, but he's still alive. He's riding the river, so we should be able to find him again."

"You fool, that river goes right into Central. If he gets amongst the population…"

"With all due respect, sir, he doesn't exactly blend in very well, does he?" the well dressed furry pointed out to his master.

"And how long before someone begins asking questions about him B? Exactly how much time do you think it will take someone to track him back to us?" the Doctor was apparently in an agitated state. "Find that fox, bring him back here… and kill anyone who has laid eyes upon him. Understand?"

"Yes sir!"

End Prologue…


	2. Two Ships

Power Enriched by the Heart

by Asher Tye

Disclaimer: Sega owns Sonic and crew, and that includes Robotnik and Shadow. I'm not sure who owns the other characters, whether it be Archie, DiC, or whoever did Sonic Underground, but I know it's not me so whichever one owns them I give full props to.

Author's Note: Well here is the official first chapter, finally edited and ready to be posted. I still can't think of any good chapter titles for these chapters, so we'll just go with numbers until I can think something up. Of course if anyone has any suggestions, I'd be more than happy to take them under advisement. In any event, hope you like, and remember to review. And also a big thanks to everyone who put this story on their alerts, even if they didn't review.

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Chapter 1

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"Baby-baby come to daddy," a blue hedgehog spoke lovingly to the pair of chili-dogs sitting on the plate before him. Across the counter the cashier laughed at the comment, even as several of the human customers looked disapprovingly at the quilled creature in their midst. Quickly grabbing both dogs in his hands, the hedgehog shoved them into his large mouth, not even bothering to worry that some of the chili sauce fell from the buns and stained his navy shirt.

"Geez Sonic, slow down," the cashier said. "What's your boss gonna say if you go back to work looking like that." The hedgehog named Sonic greedily swallowed his lunch before answering.

"Not goin' back Charlie."

"Ah Sonic, don't tell me ya lost another job."

"Nah didn't lose it; for all the good it does," Sonic said as he took a sip of his coke. "Manager said he didn't need me for more 'en a couple of hours today. Can you beat that? I'm already only a part-time employee and that geek wants to cut my hours further."

"Yeah that's rough," Charlie intoned. "What is this the fifth time he's done that to ya?"

"Sixth this week," Sonic admitted. "And I know he's hasn't cut any of his human employees' time either. Man I am not looking forward to this paycheck. If you didn't cut me such a deal on lunch Chuck, I don't know what I'd do." The human's finger suddenly went to his lips as he shushed the hedgehog urgently.

"Ya mind not blabbing that to everyone in the diner? I get into enough trouble 'cause I let you in here and up at the counter. My boss'll flip if he finds out I'm only charging you half price for those dogs."

"Yeah, sorry," the hedgehog apologized. "You know I wouldn't wanna get you in trouble man."

"Not for nothing Sonic but maybe you should try getting a second job? You know, supplement your income."

"Oh brilliant idea, Chuck," came the snide response. "Got any suggestions on who'd hire me? It wasn't exactly easy to find the first job, and I'm not exactly what you'd call 'skilled labor.'"

"Olafson made you that offer, didn't he?" At Charles's words, Sonic shot the balding man a dirty look. "I'm just saying Hedgehog, you're not in a position to be overly picky. Your paycheck won't cover squat at less than twenty hours a week an' you're not exactly without your responsibilities."

"I know, I know." No doubt about it, Sonic felt really depressed now, in sharp contrast to how he'd felt earlier when he'd had his chili-dogs. Sensing his friend's state Charlie decided to alter the subject somewhat.

"So, how are Sonia and Manic?" the man asked, referring to his favorite patron's younger siblings as he checked out another customer, ignoring the somewhat offended look the woman gave him.

"Not so good. Sonia says she's looking for a part-time job to help out with bills. I'm not too thrilled about that. Last thing I need is for her grades to start suffering because I can't keep money in the house."

"She's fifteen, how many people would hire her?" Sonic's large eyes narrowed as one of his hands clenched into a fist.

"You'd be amazed, but I'd rather my little sister not find herself being employed by those who've been offering." Charles nodded his understanding.

"And Manic?"

"Still a handful. Kid can't stop getting into trouble. Cops brought him home last night. Said he and a bunch of kids were caught tagging walls in the south end. And today I got a call from his teacher telling me he's been getting into fights. Apparently she's been sending home notes about it but they've failed to make it past the waste basket." At this Charlie snorted a short laugh.

"Boys will be boys. I remember when my kid was eleven."

"Please tell me there's a point they settle down and stop being pains in the tail," Sonic begged.

"Sure there is; six months after you die and get buried," the man answered with a louder laugh. Finally Sonic reached into the left pocket of his white khaki pants and pulled out a few dollars to pay for his lunch. "Leaving so soon?"

"Gonna try to pick up some food at the store so we can have the luxury of dinner tonight," Sonic answered, hopping off of his stool as he waved good-bye to his friend and grabbed his red jacket before exiting through the door. Being the polite and good-natured fellow he was, the blue hedgehog opted to hold open the door for a young human couple as they entered the diner. His ears bent against his head as he heard their uttered thanks.

"Dear, maybe we should eat somewhere else. This place might be infested with fleas or something." Sonic's eyes once more narrowed and he gave a low-level growl as he stomped away from the pair of ignorant dolts. Above him the gathered clouds had gone from gray to almost black as thunder rumbled through the heavens and a few drops of rain began to fall from the sky, one of which chose to strike Sonic's nose.

"Great," the hedgehog mumbled as he pulled the jacket tighter around his small body. This part of the city of Central always seemed somewhat dreary in the hedgehog's opinion, a fact that was not helped by the darkened sky as it began to storm. Briefly Sonic wished he'd remembered to bring his umbrella.

_&Of course what would be even nicer would be if I actually owned an umbrella,&_ Sonic thought as he grabbed a discarded newspaper to use as an impromptu covering. No doubt about it, being poor sucked. Quickly the nineteen year old hedgehog worked his way through the ambling crowd, ignoring the more derogatory comments of some of the less friendly human travelers, making his way towards the only market in the immediate area that was willing to accept Mobian customers. Sorely did the young Mobian wish he could simply step off into the street and tear through the traffic with his phenomenal speed. Sadly, knowing his luck, he'd be pulled over and issued a citation for speeding, a strain on the finances Sonic was all too sure would send his already critical budget straight to its deathbed.

Finally he reached Sal's Grocers, easily recognized by the big glass windows of its small building, one of which was shattered and newly boarded up. Sonic mumbled his distaste, knowing all too well that this was a high crime area and the likelihood of a break-in was fairly good. He often heard Sal complaining about how much he kept losing when people decided to help themselves to his goods for free. Hopefully there hadn't been enough damage done to force the man to close his store. Sonic didn't relish the idea of having to find some other place to get groceries from. Inside the blue hedgehog found the place almost empty, save for a bored looking human behind the cash register and a yellow rabbit who was busy sweeping the floor near some of the produce. Sonic's face scrunched up as he looked at the less than appetizing fruits and vegetables.

_ &Oh well, beggars can't be choosers,&_ Sonic thought as he grabbed a hand basket and waved at Sal behind the register, receiving a curt nod for doing so. Until he got paid there wasn't a great deal he could buy, so he moved through the short aisles looking for bargains that would still be edible. While comparing two cans of green beans with each other, Sonic began wishing Sonia was with him. Though still not yet out of school, his younger sister had a surprising head for numbers and could easily have crunched down the prices to find the best deals. _&Well no sense crying over spilt milk. Speaking of which…&_ Quickly gathering the food and drink he needed, the teen hedgehog soon found himself in the small baked goods section, staring at the meager selection of cakes made available to the customers.

_&Manic's birthday's coming up soon, kid deserves something,&_ Sonic thought guiltily. _&And it ain't lookin' too good on getting that Mega-Gyro Robo-thing he wants so much.&_ After a few minutes, Sonic reached into the display and pulled forth a small chocolate number with little icing flowers. As long as his brother didn't mind having to restrict the cake-receivers to three along with himself, it would do fine and not throw their budget too out of whack. As the hedgehog placed the petite cake in his basket a curious sound came to his ears, the scratching sound of claws on a solid surface coming from the next aisle over. This gave Sonic cause to pause in his movements out of curiosity. Debris tended to litter the ground around here, amongst it broken glass, nails, and other sharp pointy objects that could easily turn bare feet into Swiss cheese, making it very unwise for anyone to walk around barefoot with their claws exposed.

_&Probably just some toddler who's mother didn't put him in shoes today,&_ Sonic thought to himself. Nothing unusual about that, shoes for Mobians weren't all that easy to come by and small children's feet tended to grow fairly rapidly. Sal wasn't known to be terribly strict in enforcing such rules as "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service" when it came to small kids. Still Sonic found himself walking into the neighboring aisle, his feet moving almost without his knowledge. Slowly poking his head around the corner, Sonic's large eyes widened at what he saw.

Several boxes of cereal lay on the floor with their tops ripped open and much of their contents spilled in what Sonic could only describe as a very big mess. And in the center of the mess, his muzzle still crammed into one of the cereal bags also present, was a small fox that looked to be about eight years old. What got Sonic's attention most however, was the fact that not only was the young kit barefoot but, with the exception of what looked like a thin gray cloak with a hood, he was completely naked. Bits and pieces of cereal rested on the boy's body, crumbs and bits of marshmallow nestled in his grubby looking white belly fur. The hedgehog's foot trod over an errant puff, generating an all too loud crunching noise that caused the fox's attention to shift away from his ill-gotten sugary feast towards the blue hedgehog that had interrupted him. For the briefest of moments clear cerulean eyes met with verdant ones, as though studying some familiar territory. Suddenly a look of panic came upon the fox's face and Sonic could tell he was about to bolt. Jumping up from the spot on the floor he'd previously occupied, the furry kit latched onto the shelves of the aisle and, with an agility that belied his small frame, climbed to the top and began to run.

Ever since his parents' untimely deaths, Sonic had tried to live his life by the philosophy of "live and let live" when it came to interacting with other people. As long as he wasn't detrimentally affected by someone's actions, he left them to their own devices and tried to stay out of their way. Such a philosophy had served him well over the past four years since he'd been taking care of his siblings, and it was a philosophy the hedgehog had planned to stay faithful to till the day he died. Thus it was something of a surprise to Sonic that, as he watched the escaping fox's two tails (Sonic blinked, immediately convinced he was seeing things) wiggle their way up and over the barrier, he gave a loud yell.

"Hey! Stop thief!" The effect of this was immediate as Sal and his stock boy rabbit, as well as the two other store patrons who had come in after Sonic, raised their heads to look in Sonic's direction, watching in awe as the fox stood up on top of the aisles, drawing the hood of his cloak over his head as he began to sprint to the front of the store. Unwilling to lose anything else, Sal moved over to the door blocking the fleeing kit that came to a skidding halt before him.

"Okay kid, you ain't gettin' out this way," Sal said as he looked down at the fox. "Just give up and maybe we can keep this from going any worse for you." Sonic quickly made his way to the front of the store as the kit scrambled back to his feet and started for the back of the store, only to find himself again stopped, this time by the rabbit who was brandishing his broom like a weapon.

"I got him Mr. Sal," the rabbit said as he shifted his weight to match the kit as the boy tried to negotiate his way around. Even with his head covered by the hood, Sonic could see the look of panic on the fox's face as he searched for another way out.

"Hold on, no one's going to hurt you," Sonic said calmly, hoping to keep this strange boy from accidentally hurting himself in some foolish attempt to escape. When the boy's head turned towards him, Sonic smiled reassuringly; glad to see he was apparently getting through. Slowly the cobalt hedgehog took a few steps towards the frightened fox. "That's right no one here wants to hurt you, you're safe," Sonic began, using a cooing voice. Based on the fox's attire, it was only too reasonable to consider the kid might not be all there. Mobians were very close to their more primitive ancestors, and it wasn't unheard of for circumstances to drive the less stable members of the population to revert to a more feral state. If this boy was indeed one such member of this hapless subset of society, then it was entirely possible reason would be useless in trying to get him to calm down. Again Sonic took a step, his cooing voice working to soothe the troubled kit. Suddenly the fox's eyes grew wide, as though he was seeing past Sonic, or rather seeing someone other than Sonic where the hedgehog stood, and he began to tremble and back away before tripping over his own cloak and falling to his butt on the floor. "No no, don't be afraid, I said I won't hurt you." It soon became apparent that the hedgehog's honeyed words were not working as the boy suddenly scrambled on all fours to get away from his supposed attacker

"Sal he's making for the door," the rabbit called to his employer, only to watch as the fox made a liar out of him by gathering the cloak, which suddenly looked much thicker than Sonic had thought it to be, around his body and leaping through one of the windows, tucking himself into a ball as he went. Outside the passersby stopped in their tracks as the little ball of fur suddenly appeared out of nowhere before them, casting a quick glance back at Sonic before bolting at a fairly impressive speed for a nearby alleyway.

Again Sonic's instincts told him to leave well enough alone. He'd done all he could be expected to do, he'd told Sal about the kit that was shoplifting him, he'd even tried to get the kid to calm down as best he could. Now the problem was past and he was expected home so he could get dinner ready for Sonia and Manic; the kid was not his concern. Sonic didn't know the fox; he had no way of knowing what was going on with him. In short Sonic had no reason not to simply get on with his life and put this whole incident behind him. And yet…

"I'll stop him," Sonic said as he forgot about the groceries he'd collected and tore out of the store heading towards the alley he'd seen the fox duck into, the vacuum effect of his body moving so fast sucking the hats off of several pedestrians as he zipped by. When he got to the alley, sharp green eyes just managed to catch a glimpse of the tail end of a flapping gray cloak as it turned the corner at the other end of the alley through the chain link fence that bisected it. Sprinting forward, Sonic vaulted the fence with a quick kick to the ground, tearing after the fox. Another glimpse of fleeing cloak showed the fox was moving through another alley, a fact that didn't really sit well with Sonic. This was a dangerous part of Central, and the hedgehog could only imagine what a tempting target a defenseless little fox cub would be to anyone looking to make someone else's life miserable. As though his thoughts were prophetic, Sonic turned the corner of the alley just in time to watch the kit run smack dab into the legs of a rather large looking human wearing a tank top, leather pants, and a tattoo on his right bicep of a small animal being tortured in a fire. The fact that the human was not alone but surrounded by four buddies only served to make matters worse.

"What da we have here?" the man said as he looked down at the small form that had just bounced off his shins. One of the group, a man with neon green hair done up in spikes and dark sunglasses on his face grabbed the kit by the scruff of the neck and lifted him off the ground causing a yelp to escape from the fox's mouth.

"Ooh, looks like someone lost their teddy bear," the spiky haired human said in a derisive voice before the fox suddenly found himself roughly grabbed by the tattooed human.

"A teddy bear eh?" the street tough sneered as he reached into his pants pocket, pulling out a pocket knife that he immediately flicked open. "Whaddya say we see what kinda stuffin' it's got inside?"

"Yeah boss," said a skinny little late-aged teenager with a thick moustache, "let's see what kinda stuffing they put in these things." Recognizing his peril, the fox immediately began to squirm in his assailant's hand as the knife got closer and closer to his bare stomach. Anyone watching closely might have noticed how the fox's limp cloak seemed to become animate all on its own, despite the noticeable absence of any wind. Slowly the cloak seemed to creep up the young cub's waist, as though it was preparing to stop the human from cutting into the fox's flesh. Thankfully whatever the cloak was going to do proved unnecessary as Sonic made his presence known.

"Hey street-trash," the blue hedgehog said, spitting in the direction of the gang as he did so, "put the kid down, NOW!" Another yelp elicited from the fox as the skin on the back of his neck was roughly pulled as his assailant jerked him to the side and slammed him into the chest and arms of one of his stooges. Quickly the fox tried to wiggle away only to find himself pinned by his new captor.

"What the frell is this, the pincushion patrol?" the leader said, pointing at Sonic with his knife. "You're a long way from the zoo, furry."

"Really? I see a troop of dumb monkeys standing right here," Sonic retorted. At the sound of what he considered to be an inferior creature talking back to him, a look of fury came across gang leader's hairless face.

"Marko, Benny, skin this stinkin' furry," the man said as the two humans who's names he'd called began to move towards Sonic, one putting on a pair of brass knuckles while the other withdrew a length of chain.

"Bass wants you gone, Mr. Tree-Licker," the one called Benny said as he began swinging the chain in his hand and approaching the hedgehog.

"So we're gonna turn you inta road kill," Marko continued, mimicking his friend. Sonic's face showed a look on incomprehension as he shook his head pityingly.

"Dudes, that doesn't even make sense," the hedgehog started, doing his best to keep an eye on both of the advancing humans as he continued, "he wants me gone, so you two bozos are gonna make me part of the landscape?" Marko finally got himself behind the hedgehog and charged, attempting to blindside the Mobian that wasn't even half his side. A snide smile appeared on Sonic's face as he suddenly disappeared as if by magic, causing the attacking human to miss his target and lose his balance as his fist struck the ground.

"Ah!" he yelled as Marko grabbed his injured hand. "My frelling hand! He broke my FRELLING han… Oomph!" The man's tirade was cut off as Sonic suddenly landed like a stone on the man's back, slamming him into the ground.

"Oh shut up dummy, you're the one who drove his fist into the ground," Sonic quipped as he stamped his foot hard on the small of the man's back. Then the cobalt hedgehog jumped just in time to avoid being struck by the chain that had been aimed at his head, flipping over the makeshift weapon before grabbing onto its end. With his weight added to its own, the chain swung faster than its wielder could control. With the thought of letting go not once crossing his mind, Benny soon found the chain wrapping around his body, rendering him helpless as Sonic delivered a sharp kick to his chin.

"What are you waiting for?" Bass screamed at the two remaining members of his crew. "Skin that furry!" Starting at their leader's scream, the two humans moved forward, the one that held the unfortunate fox cub tossing him roughly into the nearby wall as they both went to take on Sonic. Another knife was displayed as was a sturdy looking lead pipe Sonic immediately decided he would much rather not have anywhere near him. Revving up his legs, the hedgehog surged forward, racing towards Lead Pipe at high-speed before slamming his fist into the man's gut, immediately forcing the thug to double over. Quickly ricocheting off the nearby wall, Sonic slammed into Lead Pipe's backside, rocketing the hapless human forward and into his friend Pocket Knife. A loud scream erupted from Lead Pipe as his friend's poorly chosen weapon buried its blade into his shoulder.

"Oooh, bad luck there guys. Guess it doesn't pay to be a pair of uncoordinated ap… Woah!" Sonic's comment was cut short as a loud bang was heard, signaling for him to jump backwards as a chunk of the concrete he'd been standing on flew off. Nearby Bass stood, a smoking gun in his hand and a sour look on his face.

"You a dead rat, you know that furry!" he yelled at the hedgehog, firing his gun again. Exceptional speed and reflexes allowed the Mobian to avoid the bullets being shot at him.

"Hey quit doing that or you'll hit your buddies!" Sonic yelled as a third shot came near one of the downed gang members.

"Stop movin' and I'll stop shootin' furry," Bass said as he took aim again. Faced now with this impossible proposal to end this, Sonic prepared to attack before the human thought to try to take the fox as a hostage to use against him, only to stop as the blaring sound of sirens came to his ears. Bass too stopped in his tracks, looking back down the alley as two of the city's cop cars pulled up to block the exit. At the other end two more patrol vehicles appeared, their lights and sirens blaring as well. Immediately two cops came out of each car, their weapons drawn and aimed at each of the participants of the fight as they barked orders to raise hands in surrender. Carefully Sonic scanned the alley for fox, wanting to make sure the young feral understood this was not a fight he could win, only to finally notice that, over the course of the battle Sonic had been waging to protect him, the kit had escaped unnoticed.

_&Damned kid,&_ Sonic thought bitterly as he raised his hands, allowing the law enforcement officers to roughly grab him and bind his hands behind his back with handcuffs while Bass and the other gang members yelled and argued about what they had done wrong. Even as he was walked back to the patrol car however, Sonic's eyes couldn't help but scan the alleyway searching for any sign of the mysterious fox.

* * *

Sonic was late. This in and of itself was not out of the ordinary for the blue hedgehog, who often found himself having to work odd shifts as he tried to make ends meet, but still his younger sister Sonia couldn't help but worry. Especially considering that Manic said Sonic had left for work around the same time he'd left for school. If that was the case, then Sonic was overdue, even if he had received a full work day.

The pink hedgehog leaned over the bubbling pot she had on the stove, sniffing the boiling freeze-dried noodles that were currently being softened before she added the lime shrimp flavor packet to them. Packaged ramen noodles like these may not have been the healthiest thing in the world for children to eat, but they were extremely cheap at ten cents a pack so Sonic tended to keep them very well stocked. And they did help to stave off hunger on those days Sonic and Sonia forgot to bring home real food.

"Are the noodles almost ready?" yelled a green hedgehog as he stuck his head out from the two siblings' shared bedroom door. A small vein appeared on Sonia's pink head just under her crest of lighter pink quills as she heard this. Manic had been asking this question steadily ever minute for the last six.

"I keep telling you, it'll be done when it's done," Sonia yelled back before adding, "And get your butt back in that room, you're still grounded mister!"

"You can't tell me what to do," came the little brat's response.

"No but I can beat you senseless and just toss you back in there." The boy's eyes widened at this all too viable threat before quickly pulling his head back into the room, slamming the door shut. Sonia expelled a breath. Sonic had finally leveled a good punishment at their green brother after his little escapade with the police the night before, ordering the younger hedgehog to his room for a period of two weeks. And now he wasn't here to enforce this edict.

The egg timer Sonia was using to time the noodles blared and Sonia reached into the pantry to retrieve two clean bowls, making a mental note to have Manic do the dishes later. Grabbing two cans of soda from the refrigerator, the pink hedgehog placed everything on a tray and carried it over to the now closed door leading to her bedroom. With a skill born of having to do this dozens of times, the young lady opened the door. Predictably the room's youthful occupant jumped at the sudden sound of someone barging in on him.

"SONIA! I coulda been doin' something private in here ya know!" the green hedgehog said furiously as he shoved the magazine he'd been reading under his back where he thought Sonia couldn't see it. With a disapproving look on her face, Sonia placed the tray of food down on the nightstand and looked at her younger brother before easily flipping him over and snatching the magazine he'd been so eager to hide. Manic let out an alarmed gulp as he watched Sonia examine the paper article, a female figure wearing not but a swimsuit on its cover.

"I thought Sonic said you weren't allowed to have these magazines anymore," Sonia stated more than asked, fully knowing the answer as she'd been there when Sonic had stated this rule.

"It's not what you think," Manic said, his body quivering at having been so caught. "It's uh… for school… a project the teacher assigned."

"One: since when did you ever voluntarily do your homework, two: why would a teacher ask you to look at pictures of a bunch of overstuffed floozies, and three: just how dumb do you think I am?" So saying Sonia walked over to the room's sole window, opened it, ripped the trashy magazine in half and tossed it outside.

"Hey!" Manic wailed, suddenly jumping off the bed and racing to the window, watching in horror as the papery magazine broke into its component pages and was carried off by the wind. "That belonged to Trevor, he's gonna want it back!"

"Trevor; I might have known," Sonia said gruffly, communicating fairly well exactly what she thought of the seventeen year old rat who served as one of Manic's supposed role models. It had been Trevor who had talked Manic into spray painting on the south end, and who had been mysteriously absent when the cops had shown up. And it had been Trevor who had apparently convinced Manic to get his ear pierced for an earring, something Sonia was quite surprised Sonic had allowed their younger brother to keep. Though the green hedgehog had sworn up and down on their late parents' graves that the gold hoop had been a gift from his rat friend, Sonia couldn't help but think Manic had stolen it. The pink hedgehog was very much aware that she and her blue sibling were fighting a losing battle to keep their youngest sibling from turning to a life of crime.

Finally accepting that the magazine was gone, Manic grumped his way back over to the bed and sat down, grabbing his bowl of soup as he did so. Sonia opted for the desk chair in their room, smoothing out the legs of her purple shorts as she did so. Quietly they began to eat, only to be interrupted as Manic suddenly wrinkled his nose upon smelling the flavor of the noodles.

"Lime shrimp? Again?" he complained.

"It's the only flavor we have left Manic, you keep eating all the others, remember?" his sister reminded him. "And besides I like lime shrimp."

"Well I don't," Manic complained, putting down the bowl and crossing his arms over his chest. "I want a burger, or a chilidog!"

"Then go hungry," Sonia suggested, unwilling to get into this argument again. It seemed as though every day Manic became harder and harder to control and it was, quite frankly, wearing on his sister's nerves. Unfortunately if anyone knew how to get under the pink hedgehog's quills, it was her younger brother.

"Feed me!"

"I did."

"Feed ME!"

"It's right there."

"FEED me!"

"Your food is right there."

"FEED ME!"

"EAT THE DAMN NOODLES MANIC!" Sonia yelled, suddenly grabbing her mouth as she did so and causing Manic to fall over in laughter at his sister's outburst. Glaring at the little monster as he laughed on the bed, Sonia reached down for a nearby pillow that had been kicked off the bed at some point in the day. With a jerk of her hand she sent the errant pillow sailing through the air to strike her younger brother, knocking him from the bed. Giving a smug smile, Sonia once more lifted her soup bowl and attempting to take a spoonful of her dinner, an act that was interrupted as the same pillow came zooming right at her, knocking the bowl from her hands and drenching her favorite purple shirt in the pungent liquid.

"MANIC!" Sonia screamed as she looked at the gigantic stain forming on her chest where the electric pink heart sat on the purple shirt. "You little BRAT!"

"Hey, don't call me a brat!" Manic yelled back indignantly. "You're the one who hit me first!"

"No, I knocked you with a pillow," Sonia explained, standing as she did so, her teeth clenched and her hands balled into fists. "NOW I'm gonna hit you!" Manic screamed as his big sister lunged for him, rolling out of the way as she flopped on the bed. Like lightning a pink hand shot forth and grabbed Manic's orange vest, an article of clothing the green hedgehog quickly stripped off to avoid his sister's enraged grasp as he hopped out of the room, pulling the door closed behind him. Knowing that this barrier was only a temporary impediment, the juvenile looked quickly for a place to hide, diving for cover behind the couch. Less than a second later the door banged open as a furious looking Sonia exited. "I can see that stupid mop you call a hairstyle you know!"

"My hair is not stupid!" Manic yelled back, raising his head over the back of the couch to defend his chosen "do" only to realize that Sonia hadn't even been looking in his direction… until he'd given himself away. "AHH!" the green hedgehog screamed as he was suddenly tackled to the floor and pinned by his much heavier sister.

"Now I'm gonna…" Sonia never got to finish her threat as a sudden knocking came to the door of their apartment. A triumphant smile came to Manic's face.

"Ha, Sonic's home, now you can't do nothing," he said, sticking his tongue out at Sonia.

"Manic, why would Sonic knock on the door to his own home?" Sonia asked, somewhat disturbed by her brother's lack of common sense. Still she did release him as she got up to look through the door's peephole. While the area they lived in was generally considered safe, Sonia was not about to take chances, especially since Sonic had yet to pay the rent. Through the small glass she caught a glimpse of pink quills and a white hat, a clear indicator as to who was on the other side.

"Amy!" Sonia said with excitement as she unlocked the deadbolt and released the guard chain. Standing behind the door, still adorned in her white nurse's uniform, was indeed Amy Rose, a smile on her face and two large white paper bags in her hands.

"Hi guys," she said in a friendly voice as she entered. "Sonic called and asked me to come over."

"Sonic called you?" Sonia asked. "Is he working late?" Amy thought about how to answer the question. She knew the real reason Sonic wasn't home yet, but felt neither Sonia nor Manic needed to know their big brother had been picked up by the cops. So maybe a little white lie wouldn't hurt this time.

"Yeah, 'fraid so," Amy said, her eyes closing as she smiled reassuringly at the two children. "But never fear, he told me to feed you two munchkins." So saying Amy dropped the two bags down on the table. "Hope you don't mind Chinese."

"Hi Amy," Manic said from his position lying on the floor, an attempt at a suave expression on his face as he gazed upon the dark pink hedgehog who was not his sister. "Can't stay away from me, huh babe?" Amy smiled coyly at the youngster as she approached him, reaching down and ruffling his already messy quills.

"Oh yes, short eleven year-olds with messy hair and police records are just so my thing," Amy replied, her touch causing Manic's "suave" face to dissolve into a goofy grin.

"Oh please," Sonia said as she began setting out the food Amy had bought for them on the table. "Amy, would you mind getting the silverware? Thanks to the hedgehog tornado over there I have to go clean up." The elder hedgehog eyed the stain on Sonia's shirt and nodded.

"Okay. And you Manic," the green hedgehog immediately stood at attention at the sound of his name, "you go wash up as well. I don't eat with people who look like they've been rolling around in garbage all day."

"Yes ma'am," Manic said, saluting before he sped off to the bathroom, completely ignoring the annoyed look Sonia was now giving him.

"How did you do that? Any time I ask him to do something, it's like pulling teeth."

"Boys aren't hard to tame Sonia, you just have to turn on some 'feminine wiles,'" Amy explained as Sonia went into the bedroom to change her shirt.

"Are you saying I don't have any feminine wiles?" Sonia asked, a bit hurt that Amy seemed to think her so immature.

"Not at all girl, but brother's are immune to their sisters, so that makes it so much harder. You shoulda seen me and Kendal," Amy answered as she set out the silverware.

"So what did you get us?" Manic asked as he came out of the bathroom, displaying his now completely cleaned hands and face for the girls, though he was really only interested in the opinion of one girl. "No noodles, right?"

"Don't worry honey, I got you some sweet and sour pork," the adult hedgehog answered. "And shrimp with lobster sauce for Sonia, shrimp and snowpeas for me, and for Sonic, when he gets home, Mongolian beef." Amy smiled; pleased with the selection she'd made for her blue beau, knowing full well the speedy hedgehog's affinity for spicy foods. "Shall we dig in?" In answer to her question, both of the children grabbed forks and began to eat.

* * *

Later that night found Amy sitting on the couch watching television, Sonia asleep with her head on the elder hedgehog's lap. Manic had been tucked in two hours ago even though he was not particularly happy he couldn't stay up with the girls, particularly Amy. The pink hedgehog he listened to had reminded him of his earlier grounding, and of the fact that simply because she was here and not Sonic the punishment was not being suspended. Thankfully a full belly and some sweet talk from Amy had been more than enough to get the green hedgehogling to settle down for the night.

Thus had the two females found themselves watching Station Square Idol in relative peace before Sonia herself began to feel drowsy. As the news began playing, Amy toyed with the idea of waking her companion up long enough to get her to bed when the door suddenly opened and a familiar spiky profile entered the domicile, recklessly tossing his jacket onto the coat rack.

"Sonic," Amy smiled, getting up carefully without disturbing Sonia and approaching her boyfriend. Suddenly she became aware of the fact that Sonic was holding one of his eyes closed, a rather nasty purple coloring arising in the skin around it. "Sonic what happened?"

"The boys in lock-up weren't too thrilled to share their space with a Mobian," Sonic explained. "One of 'em got me with a pretty good blindside before I convinced 'em to leave me alone."

"Didn't the police think to put you in a separate cell?"

"Morgan said 'space was at a premium,'" Sonic spit. "Babe, there any ice in the freezer?"

"One moment, I'll get you some," Amy said as she went into the kitchen. "Mind Sonia, she'd asleep on the couch." Sonic moved over to indeed find his sister on the couch, a light snoring emanating from her form. Smiling Sonic carefully poked the girl, waking her up.

"Hey kiddo, I'm home," Sonic said, knowing it always made Sonia feel important when he "checked in" with her. Sleepily Sonia smiled at her elder brother, but then she noticed the black eye he was developing.

"What happened? Did you get mugged?" she asked as Amy arrived with the ice bag, looking disapprovingly at Sonic for waking up his sister.

"Nah, just ran into a doorknob," he lied. "Come on kid, let's get ya to bed. You got school tomorrow." Slowly Sonia got up, rubbing her eyes as she moved into the bedroom and bed she shared with her younger brother.

"You didn't have to wake her up to get her to bed you know," Amy chided as Sonic laid down on the couch and she put the bag over his eye.

"Amy, I really need to lie down," Sonic finally admitted. "They got in a few real good licks on me." Immediately Amy was at his side, examining his body in general.

"Oh Sonic, is anything broken? Do you feel numb?"

"No, just tender. Didn't really enjoy the walk home you know."

"You could have called me, I would have picked you up," Amy admonished. "Do you need a doctor?"

"Don't think so, I got a great nurse right now." Amy's hands came to her hips at this comment.

"Sonic Hedgehog don't you dare be flippant about this. If you're hurt you might need medical help."

"Amy, I swear, it's nothing more than some bruises and scrapes, that's all," Sonic reassured his girlfriend. "All I need is a good night's rest and I'll be fine." The pink hedgehog still did not look totally convinced, but she was unwilling to fight her injured boyfriend without more proof.

"Look, I'm gonna stay here for the night, just in case," she said as she went to the closet where Sonic kept his pillow and comforter. Since this was a one bedroom apartment, Sonic tended to use the living room couch as his bed rather than try to squeeze three hedgehogs onto the one in his siblings' room.

"Nah Amy, go home, we'll be fine." Again Amy's hands went to her hips.

"Either I stay for the night or I go into that room, wake up Sonia and Manic, and we drag you to the hospital to get checked out." Grabbing the pillow she shoved it gently under Sonic's head before climbing onto the couch with him and draping the comforter over them both. More interested in finally going to sleep so he could call an end to this terrible day, Sonic chose not to fight the pink hedgehog on this and allowed her to snuggle up against his warm body.

"Good night Amy," Sonic murmured as he shut his eyes.

"Good night Sonic."

* * *

Bass looked around the interrogation room he'd been stuck in for the last four hours, getting tired of staring at the same four, bland walls and getting really tired of being unable to move his arms thanks to the handcuffs that kept them secured behind his back and to the chair. The cops had stopped questioning him after about two hours and then, after receiving a call, they'd left him alone to rot in this room. At first he'd thought they were going to let him go. It wasn't as though he'd committed an actual crime after all, at least to his mind. But the longer he waited, the less plausible this theory seemed to be.

Suddenly the door to the room opened and Bass's eyes widened a little as a spiky black figure entered the room. Clad in a red jacket and red pants, with black gloves, boots, and a shirt for effect, Bass at first thought this to be the same hedgehog from before and prepared to continue his attack, momentarily forgetting his restrained state. This delusion was dispelled the moment the human looked into the hedgehog's blood red eyes and saw his upturned quills. Following him in was what Bass could only assume to be a human. At least it looked like a human, even if it was only the size of a Mobian. Thick but sparse strands of brown hair topped a mostly bald head that looked very similar to a light-bulb that was festooned with the longest, pointiest nose the thug had ever seen in his life. A green jacket covered the midget's torso as a pair of pleated, brown pants covered his legs, black shoes completing the ensemble. Perhaps most noticeable was the small sliver of silver that seemed to be embedded in his forehead on his right eyebrow; a single, dull red light sitting on its top and blinking, its purpose a mystery to the criminal staring at it. In his hand hung a black briefcase that seemed almost too big for him, its bottom almost scrapping the ground as the short man walked into the room and took a seat opposite Bass.

The black hedgehog merely stood with his back to the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed as though dreadfully bored with this entire proceeding. Somewhat angered by this display of disrespect from a lowly beast, Bass prepared a biting remark to levy at the hedgehog, only to be interrupted by sudden movement from the human as he pulled a manila envelope from his briefcase. Reaching into his jacket's breast pocket, the little man pulled forth a pair of small reading glasses, placing them on his titanic nose as his puce eyes adjusted to the text in the newly opened envelope. For a few moments the two humans simply sat across from each other, with the small man reading while Bass simply looked at him in a mixture of puzzlement and annoyance. He had much better things to do than just sit here watching some freaky runt read. Just before he decided to break the silence and say something, the sharp sound of the folder being snapped shut was heard. The little man removed his glasses, staring impassively into the restrained human's eyes.

"Vincent 'Bass' Kingsley," the man began in an irritatingly nasally voice. Bass was quite surprised the man was using his full name. And he didn't like that; he'd gone to a lot of trouble trying to dissociate himself from his old identity, and with good reason too. "Born March 17, 3475 to Bernard and Marie-Louise Kingsley in Burchwelter, Martinland?"

"Yeah… so?"

"You have a rather extensive record attached to you, made even more so if you count the name Kingsley. Armed robbery, assault, vandalism, arson… murder. I believe that last one was why you changed your name to Bass, am I correct?"

"I'm not saying nothing until I get a lawyer here," Bass replied, a statement that elicited a soft chuckle from the hedgehog in back.

"I'm afraid that's just not going to happen, Mr. Kingsley," the human said. "You are not actually under arrest, so no lawyer needs to be provided. I and my associate wished to speak to you, hence why you were kept here."

"And who the hell are you?"

"You may refer to me as Robotnik should you feel the need. I represent a company known as Cyberon. Don't be alarmed that you haven't heard of us, we deal almost strictly with the government, which is why we are able to hold you so effectively for simple information gathering," the small man said as he put a hand under his nonexistent chin. "I have questions to ask and I would like your complete honesty if you don't mind."

"I ain't tellin' you squat fur-lover," spat Bass, confident in his ability to intimidate this little "Robotnik" person. Nonchalantly one of the little man's eyebrows rose, the one with the small machine on it, as he looked disappointedly at Bass.

"I am sorry to hear that, Mr. Kingsley," Robotnik said, reaching into his briefcase again and withdrawing some money, ten one-hundred dollar bills to be precise. Bass's eyes widened a little as he saw the money, curious as to what its purpose was. "I was quite willing to give you this if the information you gave proved to be of use to us. But since you don't wish to be helpful…" The bills began to burn as Robotnik used a cigarette lighter to set them aflame.

"Hey ya little twerp!" Kingsley yelled as he lunged forward, only to suddenly find himself roughly pinned to the desktop by the black hedgehog that had moved so fast the human hadn't even noticed him.

"I suggest you calm down before I have to hurt you," Shadow advised as he held the struggling human down with only one hand. Convinced he now had the arrested man's interest; Robotnik waved the cash in the air, snuffing out the flames nonchalantly.

"Now that we understand each other, I need to ask you about something you saw when you were arrested this afternoon."

"What the hell could you possibly want to know about that?" A sharp pain came to him as he tried to struggle against the hedgehog's grip, feeling as though Shadow was going to crush him at any moment.

"In your statement to the police, you stated that you got into a fight with a blue hedgehog, is that correct?"

"Yeah, some stinkin' pincushion stuck his nose where it didn't belong," Bass said, looking up at Shadow. "What, he a cousin of yours?"

"Not likely," Shadow replied.

"We are not interested in the hedgehog, Mr. Kingsley. We are interested in something else entirely. You said that this fight began over a small fox you encountered and were attempting to… assault."

"I was gonna teach the runt ta watch where he was frellin' goin'. Let me go ya blasted mutant!" Neither the questioner nor his ebony associate paid any heed to this last part.

"Yes but you, unlike your 'colleagues' and the hedgehog, stated that the fox in question possessed two tails, correct?"

"That's what I saw."

"And yet none of your compatriots corroborated this little fact," Robotnik said suspiciously.

"They ain't exactly the most observant geeks in the world."

"Hmm… yes." At this point the small human leaned in closer, looking at Bass right in the eyes. "Then all you have to do, Mr. Kingsley, to leave this place with my money, is to tell us exactly what happened to that fox after the fight." A confused expression came to Bass's face as he heard this.

"How the FRELL should I know!" he yelled at the long nosed human, the pain of the hedgehog's elbow in his spine becoming more and more unbearable. "You think I had time ta check for some freak while those stupid pigs were shoving me in their car?"

"I think he was unique and your mind latched onto him just in case someone did come asking for him," Robotnik chided softly. "I think you saw which way he went, and I want you to tell me."

"Like I'd know..."

"As I said, I think you do. But if you can't remember on your own, I'm sure Shadow here can help you."

"I ain't lettin' that furry freller do anything to me," Bass said as he renewed his futile struggles, only to feel it as Shadow placed his other hand on the man's head.

"Shadow, see if you can't jog his memory, will you?"

"Very well Snively," Shadow said as his eyes began to glow crimson. Outside the room the sound of a loud scream echoed through the police station, startling the occupants as it did so. Only the sight of the armed G.U.N. guards standing outside the room, coupled with the previously given orders not to involved kept the policemen out.

To be continued…


	3. The Job

Power Enriched by the Heart

by Asher Tye

Disclaimer: Sega owns Sonic and crew, and that includes Robotnik and Shadow. I'm not sure who owns the other characters, whether it be Archie, DiC, or whoever did Sonic Underground, but I know it's not me so whichever one owns them I give full props to.

Author's Note: Okay, so show of hands, how many people were expecting this chapter up so soon? (Notices distinct lack of hands.) Oh you guys and gals are mean. ^_^; Anyway, for those of you who were wondering about the presence of Snively, Sonia, and Manic, no, it does not mean this is going to be turned into a SatAM or Sonic Underground fanfic. This is meant to be in the games' continuity, I just added a few of my favorites from other franchises. (And I emphasize the word "few.") I should also point out that at one point this story was fully meant to be my swan song for , the last story I would write for this site. Needless to say with Reversion still going along and a lot of other plot ideas in my head, that's not the case, but hopefully this story will still stand up as one of the best.

Oh yes, and if you've been wondering where everyone's favorite echidna warrior is, wait no longer. Enjoy.

Chapter 2

Sal felt he was a pretty good judge of character when he had to be. The human grocer was often able to spot trouble well before it could land on his doorstep, a skill that helped him to preserve his store in the face of some of his more antagonistic detractors. Only a few times had his senses failed him, the most recent being towards the weird little fox that had somehow managed to sneak into his store alone and then pillaged his cereal aisle before performing his imitation of a cannonball through one of the store's windows a few days earlier. Thankfully Sal had been able to order a new replacement window just in time to have it arrive at the same time as the one that had been previously broken by a couple of thieves. Now though, as Sal stared out at the strange creature currently gazing into his shop, every one of the human's senses screamed trouble.

He was Mobian, of that much Sal was sure, but of what type he couldn't tell. Red quills covered the creature's body, or at least as much of it as the grocer could see, but whereas Sonic, and indeed most hedgehogs, wore their quills in a spiky fashion that gave the impression of fins, these hung down the back of the creature's head like dreadlocks, decorated sparsely with a few odd beads and a feather on the longest one. A brown fedora sat on his head, the band on its crown decorated by three circular patches that featured a star on each. His hands were covered in what looked like basic brown leather gloves, though Sal could see that the gloves were padded and the tips of the fingers had been removed to allow the creature's own red ones to move through. A pair of thick sandals adorned his feet, their straps binding not only what looked to be the two very big toes that dominated his feet, but winding up the heel to midway up the shin. Matching everything was the brown poncho that covered his body, making him appear to be a simple amorphous shape. Most peculiarly of all, however, was the quiver of arrows strapped to his back, red feathers sticking forth from the cylindrical bag, and going very nicely with the bow hanging next to it.

For his part Knuckles barely even took stock of Sal, noting him in the same way he would note any other potential but ultimately unworthy obstacle. The echidna, who incidentally was no relation to a hedgehog, was more interested in studying the signs around him. His quarry had entered this shop, why Knuckles did not yet know, but he had entered. And so would Knuckles.

"Hello," Sal said cautiously, still not trusting this strange Mobian completely, but unwilling to simply turn him out without a real reason. Dark black eyes looked at the grocer impassively, though they had no trouble communicating the echidna's desire to be left alone. Turning his attention back to the store, Knuckles closed his eyes, concentrating, tasting the ambient energy that seemed to abound in this small location. Most belonged to the Mobians that frequented this place, though there were a few humans mixed within. He smiled slightly as he found what he was searching for, his senses guiding him as he moved to the recently cleaned cereal aisle. Quickly he went down on all fours, the arrows of his quiver clicking slightly as he did so. Sharp eyes looked for any signs that he was on the right trail, a necessity given how cold the trail was. Honestly Knuckles was probably the only echidna alive even capable of finding it now.

Carefully he reached under the aisle, his sharp eyes latching onto something small and almost imperceptible that had been swept there during the aisle's clean up. Red fingers clasped upon a small tuft of orange fur, bringing it close to a black nose for inspection. A quick whiff told the echidna every place the fur had been, or at least every place he himself could recognize. It would be child's play to match the scents, as easy as it was unnecessary. Knuckles was not interested in the past, only in the future.

Jumping to his feet, Knuckles ran back to the front of the store, stopping just short of the newly shattered window which had been securely boarded up. Again it would have been child's play to force his way through, but the echidna was not interested in causing unnecessary damage, particularly not if it would attract unwanted attention to his presence. Before Sal could ask what was going on, Knuckles made his way around to the outside of the same window, his poncho billowing behind him as he ran out into the street completely ignoring the cars and pedestrians that were forced to stop to avoid hitting him. One car slammed on its brakes, its wheels squealing against the road as it tried unsuccessfully to stop before hitting the Mobian. Noticing his peril, Knuckles simply jumped out of the way, his body sailing through the air and all the way over to the other side of the street. Looking back briefly to make sure he had not inadvertently caused an accident, the echidna disappeared down an all too familiar alley.

* * *

"Wakey, wakey, rise and shine!" Sonic yelled at the top of his lungs as he banged on the open door to Manic and Sonia's room, doing his best to rouse the still slumbering green hedgehog who lay in his bed snoring. Sonia, for whom the day started earlier than her younger brother, was already up and off to school for the day, having done so without any prompting from her blue brother. Manic was a different story entirely. Sonic was quite sure that, without some form of intervention, his baby brother would quite happily sleep though the day and most of the night. Not that Sonic himself had any problem with such activity, but if he couldn't spend the day in dreamland, neither could Manic. "Come on sleepyhead, time to wake up!"

"Mumph… numma mum… neef," Manic grunted as he folded a pillow around his head, blocking out his brother's voice. Unwilling to be beaten so easily, Sonic entered the room and gruffly yanked the covers off the little green pincushion. "Nyan nyan nyan," came an annoyed sound as a green hand shot forward to try to grasp the rapidly disappearing sheets. Seeing his chance, Sonic then grabbed the aforementioned pillow, pulling it off of his brother's head and leaving the boy stranded on an empty mattress. Faced with no more barriers to protect himself from the hated morning, Manic opted to follow in the footsteps of his previously wild distant ancestors and utilized the hedgehog's last line of defense; namely curling himself up into a tight ball, quills extended to ward off predators. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately from Manic's perspective, this "impenetrable" defense possessed a fairly big flaw, at least where the green Mobian himself was concerned. As per school policy, the tips of his quills had been cut and were too dull to do any damage.

Smiling wickedly Sonic gave Manic a sharp shove, taking advantage of the younger hedgehog's balled up position to basically roll him off of the bed and send him crashing painfully to the floor.

"Sonova…"

"Manic!" Sonic barked before the previous statement could be completed. Rubbing his head Manic looked up at his elder brother furiously, rubbing his head as he did so.

"What'd you do that for?"

"Because you're going to be late for school if you don't hurry up and get ready," Sonic answered. "Now get dressed and I'll have breakfast waiting when you get out here." So saying, Sonic left Manic to prepare himself and went to the kitchen. He was feeling much better since he'd gotten beaten up, his muscles didn't ache and the black eye had nearly faded away. Needless to say when Sonia and Manic had found out the truth of what had happened, thanks in no small part to the event being considered newsworthy, they'd been livid. Sonia had wanted to march straight down to the police station and give the cops a piece of her mind, while Manic had offered to go gather his gang and teach the police a lesson in being kind to Mobians. Sonic had only just managed to talk them both out of their respective courses of action, though he had to admit he'd felt a little touched.

Unfortunately his little scuffle with the human gang had also resulted in him being unable to get back to Sal's until the following day. Still he'd managed, hence why Manic was now going to have Pop Tarts for breakfast along with his eggs. Moving quickly Sonic scrambled the aforementioned food in a frying pan he'd previously used for Sonia's breakfast while he watched the pastries cook in the toaster, a piece of equipment that seemed to forever be on the fritz and was known to turn otherwise tasty food into black lumps of charcoal. Thankfully, years of preparing meals for his siblings had allowed Sonic to get it down to a science, and the tarts popped from the toaster just as the eggs were ready to go on the plate.

"Manic… breakfast," the blue hedgehog called. Almost immediately the green hedgehog exited his bedroom and zipped straight for the dining table. As Sonic spied him, the elder hedgehog gave a somewhat repressed sigh. Manic was wearing an outfit that was referred to politely in the mainstream as "Mobian Chic." Privately it was referred to as being almost naked in public. Though he wore a pair of red shorts, giving him a Christmasy appearance when combined with his quill color, the young hedgehog wore only a loose red vest over his shoulders, leaving his chest and belly bare to the world. While this was a recognized fashion trend, especially with Mobians who were rebelling against what they believed to be a forced humanization, the human population tended to take a somewhat dimmer view of such styles, seeing it as uncouth and exhibitionist. Lacking the thick coats of fur, or in reptiles' cases scales, over their bodies that the Mobians possessed, Sonic guessed he could see the humans' point. Still, there were several of these "intelligent animals" as they had been so kindly dubbed who damned social stigma in favor of staying "true to their roots" as they so self-righteously liked to put it, and apparently Manic was one of them.

_&At least this time he chose to forego those stupid spiked wristbands of his,&_ Sonic thought to himself as he eyed his younger brother's attire.

"What?" Manic said, feeling the gaze of his brother on his form.

"Don't you think you should put on a shirt or somethin'?" Sonic asked as he set the plate of food and a glass of instant OJ before his youngest charge. "I don't want to have a call from your principal again saying you need to come home and change."

"There's no rule saying I have to wear a shirt, just pants, I checked," Manic countered, taking a bite of his eggs after doing so.

"You keep going to school like that they're gonna make you all start wearing uniforms," quipped the elder hedgehog, a statement that caused Manic to suddenly drop his fork on his plate and look at Sonic with a wide-eyed expression.

"They wouldn't dare," Manic said defiantly. "We'd baste the principal's car in toilet paper if he tried to bring in uniforms."

"Humans are tricky, Manny," Sonic cajoled the green one, "ya never know just how much they can take before they go nova on ya, and then next thing ya know you're wearing a suit and tie and walkin' around in penny loafers."

"Ferget it," Manic said, shaking his head. "I'll quit school before I do that." Suddenly the rebellious green hedgehog found his head being swiveled around to look his brother in the eye.

"Under NO circumstances are you to EVER quit school, you got that," Sonic growled. "If you do I swear I'll shave you bald and drag you through the sewers in front of all your friends, got it?" To signal an affirmative, Manic began to give his head several sharp shakes. Suitably convinced of his brother's newfound respect for education, Sonic let go and went to fetch his own breakfast, choosing to drown his eggs in a generous amount of hot sauce. For a few moments all was silent as the hedgehogs ate their meals, but it wasn't long before it was time to go.

"You're comin' home tonight, right?" Manic asked; a question he'd been asking every morning since Sonic's run in with the police.

"Better believe it squirt," Sonic answered. "And don't forget, tomorrow's Saturday, and we get to spend all day together."

"Ha, think I'd forget," Manic laughed. "Trevor asked me if I'd go hang out at the mall with 'im, but I told him I already had plans."

_&High praise indeed,&_ Sonic thought to himself, _&Manic almost never passes up a chance to hang with that filthy rat Course it'd be even better if he hadn't forgotten he was suppose to be grounded.& _Once Manic had pulled on his white with red stripe tennis shoes, Sonic, now dressed in the navy blue shirt and white khakis that were his work clothes, led the boy out of the apartment, locking the door behind them.

"Remember kid, you're still grounded, so I don't wanna hear you're leavin' your room, watchin' TV, or anything but studying, otherwise you can kiss tomorrow's reprieve adios, capiche?"

"Cat fish, Sonic, full cat fish," Manic joked as he walked with his brother down the stairs and out of the building. Sadly this was where they had to part company with each other as the school bus, running uncharacteristically on time today, pulled up before them and opened its door. Manic waved good-bye as he entered and Sonic watched as the green hedgehog was sped off before beginning his trek to the music store.

* * *

A single light from a computer monitor glowed in the dark office, giving the whole room an appearance of perpetual twilight that hid its occupants well from those just entering. The atmosphere was designed to be disorienting for those who tried to enter, simply because the office's owner loved the feeling of power over those who could do nothing against him. The current victim of this twisted game was a young skinny human with curly red hair, a big nose, and wearing a basic black and white suit, sans the coat, which gave him the overall impression of an odd pole bent at two angles.

Behind the desk sat another figure, this one almost the opposite of the poor red head to the extreme. Looking like a massive, egg-shaped shadow, complete with a bald head, the creature also bore a titanic moustache that strangely enough put one in mind of a pair of paint brushes sticking out of the man's nose. In fact, one could almost say the behemoth looked somewhat comical in appearance, with his big belly and meaty shoulders almost cradled in the gigantic chair that had been constructed to hold his frame. This impression died though, once the shadowed giant opened his eyes.

It is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul, gateways into the true heart of their owner. In the dim light of the computer screen, this man's eyes could just barely be made out as being red in hue; not a vibrant and alive red, but a dark and hateful red that spoke of nothing but malice and contempt for whatever unfortunate creature the pupils happened to be focused on at the time. Surrounding these hellish circles, and perhaps making them stand out all the more, was a black void that put one in mind of a fathomless abyss. If the eyes were indeed the windows of the soul, than the soul that occupied this ample frame was as corrupt and evil as any and every soul that had most likely ever been.

"So, Mr. Maril, they tell me you are having some… difficulty dealing with our rats," the hidden man spoke, his voice a grinding growl that only seemed to be amplified by the acoustics of the office. Across the desk the red haired man, now known as Maril, squirmed under his employer's dread gaze.

"Well, I… I wouldn't say difficulty," Maril stammered out, clearly intimidated by the figure before him. "I mean, the normal rats are easy enough to work with but… It's the Mobian ones sir." In the darkness, a single eyebrow rose as the egg shaped figure looked disapprovingly at his employee. "They're… they're just in pain all the time now. It's understandable that they don't wish to continue."

"When your car does not wish to start, you do not indulge it and walk, Mr. Maril," the shape said as he flexed a powerful hand introspectively. "When your sandwich does not wish to be eaten, you do not go hungry. And when subjects do not wish to undergo experimentation, you do not give them… 'understanding.'"

"I know Mr. Robotnik…"

"DOCTOR Robotnik, Maril," the giant shadow corrected, eyes flaring for a few precious seconds as Maril twitched in his seat. "To refer to me in any less a manner is to gamble with far more than your miserable excuse for a job."

"I… I understand sir… Doctor." Suddenly an icon appeared on the computer screen, drawing the malevolent attention of the doctor.

"It seems I have an incoming communication, no doubt far more important than you, Mr. Maril," Robotnik said, the contempt he had for this pitiful human clear in his voice. "Consider yourself granted a reprieve. However, should I hear we are still having problems with you being unable to do your job, you may very well find yourself on the dissection table, is that clear?"

"C-crystal sir," Maril said as he got up from the chair and backed away, stumbling over the rug as he did so. Once the red-headed human was safely gone, Robotnik's now undivided attention turned to his computer screen.

"Open communication line," the Doctor commanded. Immediately a screen opened on the monitor, showing the Cyberon Company's logo for a few seconds before displaying a familiar video feed of his nephew's bulbous head and long pointed nose. "Snively, what do you have to report?" On the screen, the diminutive human bristled at his hated nickname, but he dutifully trudged onward.

"I am pleased to report that we have confirmed C2's presence within Central, sir," Snively said, a proud tone in his voice.

"That's all? You've been gone for two weeks and all you've been able to determine is that he's in Central?" Robotnik asked, an annoyed glint to his voice.

"Yes sir, I mean no sir, I mean…" Suddenly Snively's face was dragged away from the screen by a black glove, only to be replaced by Shadow.

"What he means is that we believe we have discovered his general territory, Doctor," Shadow explained. "We will soon know the locations he's been staying in. Now we can use the local authorities to simply ensnare him when he…"

"No! You will not rely on the local police," Robotnik insisted. "The last thing we need is for some talkative member of law enforcement spilling the beans on this." Shadow looked at his master resolutely.

"While I should have no problem overpowering C2, I should point out the potential for our activities being noticed is going to go through the roof if Snively and I have to do this alone."

"I don't plan on you doing it alone, A. I'm merely going to arrange for more… acceptable aid," Robotnik said as he typed into his computer, opening a new window marked with the letters G.U.N. "Maintain secrecy until you receive further orders." And with that, the Doctor's communication with his two minions in Central was terminated.

* * *

"Sonic, get those boxes up there," Mr. Sandoval yelled as Sonic worked the freight in the backroom, trying to get the store's inventory into place.

"Working on it Mr. Sandoval," Sonic replied as he grabbed a ladder that was easily twice his height so he could get the boxes up onto the tall shelf.

"I don't want it 'worked on,' I want it done," the human grumped back, smacking the back of his right hand into the palm of his left. "Hurry, hurry, hurry." Feeling he'd sufficiently motivated his blue employee, the brown haired man's head disappeared back into his office, presumably to wait for something that required his managerial expertise, like a fresh box of donuts. Meanwhile Sonic, who had set up the ladder, grabbed one of the boxes and prepared to put it up. Sadly, even with the ladder, the hedgehog's diminutive size proved something of an obstacle to this task.

"Nuts," the blue one grunted as he moved down to get another, taller, and thus more ungainly for him, ladder.

"Hey Sonic, what's up?" came a voice that caused the Mobian in question to turn. A human wearing a uniform identical to Sonic's stood before him, brown hair styled to look a little like a small mullet and the sparse beginnings of a moustache on his youthful face.

"Simon, my man," Sonic said smiling, putting down the box long enough to slap one of his few human friends a high-five, or a mid-five where Simon himself was concerned. "Sandoval wants me to put up these boxes, and I'm trying to get it done quickly so I can take my lunch."

"Well here, I'll save you some time," Simon said as he ascended the steps of the ladder. "Hand me up the boxes and I'll put 'em up." Like a bolt of lightning Sonic's blue form raced up the metallic ladder, depositing the first box of twelve in his partner's hands and returning to the floor before the human even had time to twist and place the box. "God Sonic, I wish I could move like that," the impressed human said as they quickly finished the task. "Are all you hedgehog's so quick?"

"Nah, just me," Sonic crowed, his chest puffing up with pride. "Look, I hate to sound ungrateful, but I was kinda meeting somebody for lunch and…"

"Say no more," Simon said. "Just remember, you owe me one."

"Gotcha," Sonic laughed as he walked over to the time clock, utilizing his name badge to clock out for his meal. With the speed of summer lightning, the hedgehog raced out of the store, ignoring every distraction that got in his way as he moved towards the pizza restaurant he had chosen as the meeting place between himself and his best friend Mighty.

Entering the pizzeria, Sonic quickly spotted the red shell of his armadillo friend as he sat at a table waiting, a large pizza sitting with him.

"Sonic," the armadillo called, reaching out a yellow hand towards his long time pal which was immediately taken. Mighty cut an interesting figure wearing a pair of brown cargo pants and a white sleeveless shirt, most likely to show off the hard muscles of his arms. Sonic sat down just in time for a cat wearing an apron to appear to take his order. "Don't worry, I already ordered for you," Mighty said, holding up his hand. "Today lunch is on me." Immediately Sonic's smile dimmed a little. He and the armadillo had been friends for a long time, heck Mighty had even lived with Sonic and his siblings back when they were first getting started, but he was nobody's charity case.

"Might, I can take care…"

"Can't a friend treat another friend sometimes Sonic?" Mighty insisted; a sly smile on his face. "Besides, I didn't want you to waste your lunch break waiting for the actual lunch. Humans aren't known for being patient." The way the armadillo almost spat the word "humans" communicated everything he felt for the species. If there were humans who disliked Mobians, it was a safe bet there were Mobians who felt the same way about the human population, and Mighty Armadillo was most definitely in that camp. That had been the main reason it had been so hard for him to find and keep a steady paying job, all too often he grated under even the most benign treatment he got from any human placed over him, one time even coming to blows with an especially arrogant employer that had nearly gotten him thrown in jail for assault.

And then he'd been recruited into the Chaotix.

In the end, Sonic supposed Mighty's decision to turn to a life of crime had been something of a foregone conclusion. The red, black, and yellow armadillo had lost his family in the same tragic events that had so decimated Sonic's own. Possessing no prospects, but at the same time no responsibilities, Mighty had utterly refused to find a way to work with the hurt of his stolen life, allowing the rage to fester and explode where he often could ill afford to have it do so. A long string of failures, coupled by his own disillusionment with a world that had seemingly turned its back on him, had made the Chaotix's offer of lots of easy money simply too tempting to refuse. Thus it was that Mighty Armadillo, Sonic's best friend since kindergarten, had joined the world of organized crime,

To be fair, Mighty was not some bloodthirsty monster, as was so often the way gangsters were depicted in the movies and such. To Sonic's knowledge his best friend had never been responsible for anyone's death, directly anyway, he was simply the gang's hired muscle, albeit very effective hired muscle. Boss Vector paid him well for his services and thus had Mighty been able to afford a lifestyle more affluent than his contemporaries. Of course once the benefits of his new association became apparent to the young armadillo, he'd quickly offered to showcase Sonic himself, as well as his fantastic speed and almost frightening agility, to Boss Vector and get him into the same comfortable situation.

While it would have been a lie to say the hedgehog had not been tempted, he'd had his own reasons for turning the armadillo down, two of which were named Manic and Sonia. Despite this, the two Mobians had remained good friends, even after Mighty had moved out, and the armored anthro tended to take on the role of a surrogate Uncle, particularly where Manic, who adored him, was concerned.

"So, how are the kids?" Mighty asked as a monkey came with the pizza and drink ordered for Sonic, a mix of peppers, onions, pepperoni, and spicy Italian sausage, and set it down for the hedgehog.

"Doin' well, can't really complain," Sonic said, in no real mood to tell his friend about Manic's little brush with the law.

"Manic says he's getting' major 'street cred' with Trevor and his gang," Mighty corrected; obviously knowing about the incident Sonic had tried to hide. "Sonic, I'm not one to poke my nose where it doesn't belong…"

"Then don't," Sonic stated fairly bluntly. The last thing he needed was a parenting lecture from Mighty.

"I'm just saying, the kid's got potential, and ta see him wasting his time with that gang of thugs of his just seems wasteful to me."

"I agree, that's why he's in school," Sonic pointed out as he took a bite of his pizza and swallowed, his tone indicating for Mighty to drop this particular line of conversation. Thankfully the armadillo took the hint and held up his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay, I understand," Mighty said. For the next few minutes the two Mobians made small talk, passing over current events fairly quickly in favor of a fairly involved discussion and comparison of their favorite hockey teams. Finally though, Sonic decided his lunch break was getting too close to its end.

"So level with me Mighty," the hedgehog said as he lifted his last piece of pizza in the air, "why'd you wanna have lunch today?"

"Can't a friend…"

"Mighty, you need to stop watching those gangster movies; they're warping your brain." The strong-Mobian chuckled a little at his friend's comment.

"Okay, fair enough," he said. "The truth is I want to hire you for another job." Sonic closed his eyes, he'd been expecting this. There was no denying that it was almost impossible to keep a roof over his siblings' heads and food in their bellies when he himself kept getting screwed at his day job where hours were concerned. More often than not he had to dip into their savings, the money they'd received after the destruction of Green Hill, which was beginning to get a little too small for the hedgehog's comfort. Though he had refused Mighty's invitation to join the Choatix, this did not stop the armadillo from contacting Sonic when the gang needed an extra body to help in their crimes. Out of respect for the hedgehog's unwillingness to risk arrest, these jobs typically amounted to Sonic playing lookout or transporting messages quickly across the city; something that, with his speed, he excelled at and for which he was typically paid a few hundred dollars that tended to really help out in planning his budget. Unfortunately, such jobs also tended to make Sonic feel guilty, especially given his attempts to keep Manic on the straight and narrow and provide a good role model for him.

"Look I appreciate the offer Mighty, but after all that's been going down…"

"It pays nine hundred dollars," the armadillo interrupted, causing his lunch guest's eyes to widen. That was almost nine times the amount he usually got paid for his services. Immediately the azure Mobian became suspicious.

"What's the catch?"

"We need to pull the job tonight," Mighty stated bluntly, causing Sonic to sputter a bit.

"Tonight?" he asked incredulously, accidentally attracting the temporary attention of some of the other pizzeria patrons. Smiling sheepishly at the gawking furries, Sonic turned back to his tablemate and asked the obvious question. "Tonight? What's the rush Might, Vector's piggy bank get stolen or something?"

"Nothing like that, Sonic. Look I hate to spring this on you Sonic, but I don't really have any other options, we need to pull this soon or we won't get another shot."

"You're breakin' my heart, Might, you really are," Sonic said, his voice rich with sarcasm. "I'm gonna have to pass. I got plans tomorrow, and Sonia and Manic are looking forward to spending the day with me…"

"A full thousand," Mighty countered, "and I guarantee we'll have you home in time to get a full night's sleep before tomorrow, okay."

"Mighty…"

"Think about it Sonic," the insistent armadillo said. "A thousand bucks would probably be a big help to you. Aren't you tired of scraping by, barely living from paycheck to paycheck? From what I hear you won't even be able to make ends meet with this paycheck. Are you really interested in having to borrow cash again from Amy? And Manic's birthday is coming up soon, isn't it? Wouldn't you like to be able to get the kid something cool for his big day?" The blue hedgehog glared at his friend nastily.

"That's a low blow Might, and you know it." For the third time over the course of their lunch Mighty held up his hands in acknowledged surrender.

"You know I care Sonic, that's why I keep trying to toss some extra cash your way. But I won't lie; we need you on this caper. We had someone we were gonna use, but she baled on us at the last moment. All you gotta do is help us get the stuff back to HQ and you make a grand, how easy is that?"

"And if I get picked up what then; you take care of Sonia and Manic? Or you break me out before I get a knife stuck in my chest like Ra…" Immediately Mighty launched himself at Sonic, grabbing him by the shirt collar and almost lifting him over the table, a look of fury in his face.

"DON'T… YOU… EVER…"

"Calm down, calm down Mighty," Sonic said, very aware that he was in a very vulnerable position and could easily be broken into little hedgehog toothpicks by his much stronger friend. "That was outta line, I know, I'm sorry." For a few brief seconds Sonic wondered if he'd gotten through to the armadillo or if he should be prepared to call in for the rest of the day. Soon, though, the strong furry visibly calmed and released his friend.

"I'm sorry Sonic, it's just… Please don't speak so blithely about Ray again, okay?"

"My fault, my fault I shouldn't have gone there," the hedgehog replied, understanding in his voice. And why shouldn't he understand, Ray had been his friend too, even if the flying squirrel had been closer to Mighty. Close enough that, when given the same offer Sonic had gotten, he'd taken it, joining the Chaotix only to be nabbed on his very first heist. Mighty had planned to spring him, but had been too late. The golden furred Mobian he'd loved like a brother had been killed in his cell the previous night.

"Sonic, I swear I won't let anything happen to you, on my honor, on Ray's memory, even if I have to let myself get caught in your stead."

"I know Mighty, but…"

"One hour, that's all I'm asking for Sonic. After that we'll be done and you'll be a thousand dollars richer. What do you say?"

* * *

Elsewhere, Shadow and Snively were busy as well, with the little human taking what amounted to a working lunch as he and his hedgehog companion stared at a map of the city. Several marks had been made on the paper, all coming together to create a fairly discernible pattern that Snively had given form to by drawing a circle. As he swallowed a bit of his pastrami sandwich, the long nosed human looked to Shadow, who had no food sitting on the table.

"You're not hungry?" the human asked, more out of curiosity than concern.

"A Chaos Emerald doesn't need to eat," Shadow responded as he continued to concentrate on the map. "Don't let the form your Great-Great Grandfather Gerald gave me fool you, human, I am not some frail Mobian." Suddenly a black gloved finger stabbed at a specific point of the laid out map. "There." Quickly Snively set down his sandwich and pulled out a red ink pen.

"You're sure?" the human asked, somewhat skeptical.

"It's faint and murky, but it's there," Shadow responded. "I don't know how C2 is scrambling my senses, but…"

"But he is all the same. Perhaps we should have monitored his progress more closely," Snively remarked as he made a mark on the map. Narrow eyes glanced at the pattern as the young Robotnik's mind furiously began taking into account such variables as distance and time. In a mental feat that would have surprised nearly anyone, the diminutive scientist drew a significantly smaller circle on the paper. "There… Provided your senses, and the information you've culled from those witless witnesses can be trusted, this is where we'll find him." Shadow gazed at the circled area, an eyebrow rising in amusement.

"Uptown? My but our little boy seems to have acquired expensive tastes," the black and red hedgehog said.

"Yes, I'm sure his parents would be proud." At Snively's statement a slightly disgusted look replaced the amused one on Shadow's face. "In any event, we must prepare. My Uncle wants the fox back in the lab tonight."

* * *

Night had fallen on the city of Central, bathing the city in darkness. Or at least it would have if not for the fact that the nighttime lights of the city were strong enough to hold back the inky blackness, creating a realm of perpetual twilight, at least until the sun's eventual return to the eastern horizon.

It was in this blessed low-light environment that Sonic found himself in, as well as his two companions for the evening. All three wore black sweaters and pants; all the better to help them blend in with their dark surroundings and avoid the unwanted attention of the authorities. As an extra precaution, Sonic had slicked back his quills and donned a black stocking cap to further protect his identity. Soon the trio arrived at their target, Central City's Museum of History and Natural Science, where, according to Vector, an out of town party had an intense interest in some of the artifacts that were on display. As such, the Chaotix had been contracted to acquire said artifacts, for a hefty fee of course.

"We can't use the front door," whispered the purple scaled chameleon standing with Sonic and Mighty, a Mobian by the name of Espio. A golden horn stuck out of the ninja's nose, curving slightly backwards as a triceratops-like crest rose from his head, giving the effect of an immoveable hairdo, and giving Espio a fairly interesting profile. Around his neck only just barely avoiding being hidden by the black turtleneck the Mobian wore, Sonic could make out the tell-tale white tracking collar all chameleons were forced to wear.

"Duh, Espy," Sonic retorted, pointing up to the roof of the building as he did so. "Believe it or not, I'm not stupid." This was a fact Sonic felt Espio should have known, given that they had worked together before, even if Sonic had merely played look-out for the group.

"No you're not stupid, you're a novice which is worse," Espio countered irritably. "Stupid people can be shown they're dumb, novices walk around convinced they'll learn from their mistakes."

"Enough you two," Mighty interrupted. "Sonic, we need to get up there quickly, think you can do it?"

"Fastest guy in Green Hill, remember," the hedgehog said, chest puffing with pride as he held out his hands. Both armadillo and chameleon grabbed hold and Sonic began to move, revving up his legs as he hadn't in months. Once more the high-speed hedgehog lamented having to live in the city where he couldn't go more than a mile at top speed without being told to stop. It seemed the only real exercise he got anymore was when he did participate in the Chaotix's schemes. Once he'd judged his feet to be moving at an appropriate speed, the cobalt sprinter's body shot forward, yanking his two companions off their feet as they were pulled forward as well. With a smile on his face Sonic jumped towards the wall, not merely bouncing off the stony barrier, but actually running up it, his two companions in tow. With a soft zoom sound, the trio shot over the top of the wall and onto the roof. "Okay, we're here."

It took a few seconds for Mighty and Espio, both of whom were not used to traveling at such speed without protection, to regain their balance and composure. Finally though, Espio moved in a straight line over to the roof's massive skylight, kneeling before the glass as he arrived. Both Sonic and Mighty followed. Quickly the chameleon pulled forth a small kunai, one of his trademark weapons, and used the sharp edge to cut a small, round circle in the glass. Before this little entry wound could drop, Espio utilized his natural adhesive ability to grab it and lift it up. It was then that the ninja reached once more into his pocket and pulled forth a small box with wires coming out of it.

"Charmy says this thing will keep the alarms silent so the cops don't find out we're here," Espio explained as he reached inside and began to attach the device to the wires running underneath the pane of glass. Satisfied that it was connected properly, Espio gave Mighty the signal. The armadillo quickly moved over to the building's roof access, staring at the obviously locked door.

"Moment of truth time for our bee techie," Mighty mumbled as he casually broke the lock in his hand as though it were made of dry pasta rather than metal. When no alarms or bells sounded, the group decided it was time to enter.

* * *

"I want soldiers moving through each alley in teams of no less than three. The target may not look like much but he should be considered very dangerous. Use extreme caution," the captain commanded his G.U.N. troops as they spread out from their trucks, non-lethal weapons drawn. One of the soldiers, a young lieutenant, spoke up with the obvious question.

"Sir, if the target is so dangerous, shouldn't we be using something a little more effective than tranquilizers and tasers?" the lieutenant asked.

"C2 is far more valuable than any of you," Shadow suddenly spoke up, walking up behind the questioning G.U.N. soldier. "We are using stunning weapons in an effort to keep him from hurting you, but if he's determined, Cyberon would prefer you not have the chance to 'accidentally' damage him. Your job is just to corral him; I'm the one who's needed to immobilize him." So saying the black hedgehog turned from the pair, overseeing the troops' deployment, a slight wind catching the tails of his coat and waving them behind him.

"Sir," the soldier began to whisper to his captain. "With your permission might I point out that this furry might not be the best person to be giving orders like that? The men already have misgivings about this operation, what with it taking place in a populated area, having an animal tell them they're expendable and expecting them to follow such an order…"

"Don't think of it as obeying a 'furry,' Lieutenant," the hedgehog suddenly said, proving the superiority of his hearing. "Think of it as appeasing someone far more powerful than you who is currently considering whether C2's curiosity will be peaked if you were to suddenly start screaming in agony." The sound of a heavy flat trailer heralded it suddenly being pulled into view, something riding on it that was big enough to require such transport but secretive enough to need securing with a tarp. "What is that?" Shadow asked as two humans jumped out of the truck that had been assigned to pull the trailer bed, noticing that the human that had been riding passenger was wearing a padded jumpsuit and flight helmet.

"Just a little added insurance, Shadow," the Captain said. "A single hedgehog, no matter how skilled, does not inspire my confidence in capturing C2 if even half the information given proves true." The driver of the truck approached the G.U.N. captain and handed over a clipboard and pen.

"Sir, as requested one Spider-Troops F-6 series Big Foot Combat Mech, modified as to your specifications." The tarp was released and indeed there was a large, humanoid machine roughly half again as tall as the soldiers sitting down under it. Missile racks sat upon its shoulders as several short guns circled its wrist.

"I thought I said we needed to capture C2 unharmed," Shadow, angrily reminded the humans.

"It's all right Shadow," Snively said in his high-pitched and nasally voice that never seemed to cease being irritating as he too got out of the truck, his short stature initially hiding him from the hedgehog. "I personally approved the use of this particular mech."

"Net casters in place of missiles, guns modified to fire tranquilizers, defensive electrical surface generators, wide spectrum visual and heat sensor arrays," the Captain explained. "You are currently looking at the world's first, and possibly only, non-lethal walking tank."

"This will be serving as back-up Shadow, just in case our foxy little friend is able to elude you again," Snively commented.

"He has NEVER eluded ME, Sniveler," Shadow said venomously, signaling they were in dangerous waters. The mech's pilot climbed into its cockpit and soon activated the machine, causing it to stand up fairly smoothly, if a bit unnaturally, on legs that bent in the back rather than the front. Carefully the Big Foot stepped down from the flatbed. Though not as big as the F-6t or F-6r models, it still cut a fairly impressive figure as it stood in the darkened city streets. Finally prepared, the Captain finally gave the order.

"Okay men, move out. If you encounter the target, radio your position back to Shadow or Big Foot."

* * *

"'Mysteries of the Aquatic Ruin,'" Sonic said as he read the large banner draped over the entrance to the exhibit the Chaotix had come to raid. Inwardly, he shivered both at the sound of the word "Aquatic" and at the way the hall had been decorated. Apparently someone had decided to fully embrace the whole water theme and used blue paints and lights to give the illusion of being under water, a sensation the hydrophobic hedgehog was not enjoying.

All around him he saw cases and display stands containing the rare and valuable items collected from the ancient dig site, some that looked fairly new compared to others which still bore the signs of water damage from being in their moist environ for so long. Amongst the newer items the hedgehog found himself staring at a large tapestry. Figures that vaguely resembled little red hedgehog's possessing dreadlocks scampered about in what looked like terror. Behind them, or perhaps in front of them, was what looked like a massive green gem that was very busy expelling energy in the form of lightning bolts that caused massive destruction everywhere they struck. Several of the red figures were lying on the ground, obviously dead, while the others were in the process of dying thanks to the crystal's power.

"Someone must have done something awfully bad to piss a rock off that much," Sonic commented.

"We're not here to take the tour Sonic," Espio reminded him. "Or do you suddenly not care to wrap this up before midnight?" The chameleon had good reason to be somewhat put out. Originally the plan had called for this to be an early morning heist; he didn't like coming so quickly after the museum closed. Moving with the grace and skill only a combination of talent and training could create, the ninja moved over to one of the cases containing what looked like three extremely old scrolls of yellowed brown paper.

"Need a hand?" Sonic asked as his compatriot once more drew a kunai and snaked his now armed hand towards the cases lock, careful to avoid the infrared sensors that protected it.

"Not from you or Mighty," Espio responded cheekily, opening the lock and slowly lifting open the case. As this movement created a small breeze over the papers, Sonic understood what the ninja meant. Small flakes of yellow-brown fell from each scroll, indicating just how fragile the treasures were. "You two just concentrate on your targets." Espio commanded as he pulled forth three tubes of hard plastic from the tight satchel that rode almost invisibly on his back. Turning from the ninja, and catching a sidelong glance at Mighty who was hefting a large, eggshell white chunk of something Sonic wasn't able to recognize, the hedgehog moved over to the case holding the items he had been told to collect.

"'Displayed here are seven examples of seed crystals believed to be formed in the presence of Chaos Emeralds.' What the heck is a Chaos Emerald?"

"Do I look like I know," Mighty grunted as he held his catch on a single muscular shoulder. "Our client is the one with a Zen for old legends and stuff, not us. Just grab 'em and let's get going." Inside the case Sonic saw seven small crystals, each a different color; red, yellow, green, blue, cyan, rose, and even a clear one that seemed to look gray under the dim blue light.

"Pretty," the hedgehog commented as he opened the case and gathered up the seven jewels. As he touched them, a strange tingling sensation went up the cobalt Mobian's arm. "Weird too." That was when Espio suddenly jerked up, accidentally causing a rather large piece of the last scroll to fall from its place to the floor as he cast his glance to the giant window that overlooked the streets below. His eyes widened at what he saw.

"Crud," the chameleon swore as he bent to pick up the bit of paper, quickly rolling it all up with as much care as urgency would allow and stuffing it into its tube.

"What's up Espy?" a concerned Mighty asked.

"Charmy's device must have been a dud. I'm seeing a whole bunch of humans moving about down there, and in formation too."

"The cops?" Sonic asked worriedly.

"Not sure, but I don't think it matters," Espio replied. "We need to leave, now!"

"We can use the alley's side entrance," Mighty suggested. "It should be big enough to get this thing out and we can keep to the shadows."

"Good thinking." The three Mobians quickly and silently followed their way back out of the exhibit, carefully avoiding the guards and other defenses the museum had put up to discourage burglars. As they did so, Sonic couldn't help but notice the lack of urgency in the movements of the guards. Was it possible they were ignorant of the Mobians' presence? If that was the case, what had Espio seen in the streets below?

* * *

Only a street or two away, a pair of orange and white furred tails wiggled as they stuck starkly out of a big dumpster, a pair of orange feet pulling and yanking as the body they were attached to tried to pull itself and its find out. Finally the small figure of a fox wearing a gray cloak popped out of the dumpster, rolling for a few feet before crashing into the nearby wall. Patches of orange fur was covered in mucky patches of filth as the little boy gripped the prize he'd struggled so hard to free from its noxious prison, a large, ornate looking bottle that was a translucent amber color, with a large crack up its side to show why it had been thrown away. Inside was still a sampling of the dark liquid the little fox had seen the humans who frequented the restaurant to which the dumpster belonged drink so readily. Caring not that the liquid was most likely old and had been mixed with noxious slop from the dumpster, the fox kit upturned the large bottle with only a little difficulty and allowed the liqueur to fall into his mouth and slither into his belly.

Immediately, and almost predictably, the fox's eyes opened wide as his nose and mouth wrinkled in disgust when the putrefied wine touched his tongue. Quickly he spit the noxious liquid out, pouring the rest to the ground at his feet as he did so. If he lived to be a hundred, he would never understand why humans enjoyed this slop.

_&Still it's not a total loss,&_ the kit thought to himself as he gazed through the warped surface of the glass bottle, watching as the light from the streetlamp danced in the multifaceted surface and smiling. &_Maybe this will be a cool treasure once I get home.&_ As soon as he thought of home, the smile faded from his lips. That was the problem, he didn't know where his home was. His memories before waking up on the metal table in the white and sterile lab were fuzzy at best. All he could remember was that he'd lived someplace sunny and warm and, as he'd gazed out the barred window of his cell in the laboratory, he'd longed to touch those feelings of warmth and happiness again.

Quickly the kit collected his new prize and prepared to walk off, drawing his cloak back around himself as he did so.

* * *

As they exited the museum; Sonic, Espio, and Mighty kept a sharp eye out for those who were even now prowling the alleys and such, no doubt in a concentrated effort to find them. Sharp eyes spotted groups of shadows moving silently through the darkened streets, trying their best to remain inconspicuous as they did so, and doing a fairly good job of it too if Espio was any judge. The problem was not that the chameleon was unable to detect them, however, but in the sheer volume of men that seemed to have been deployed against them. Silently Espio made a decision.

"They're cordoning off the area, paying particular attention to the backways and such," Espio stated. "We're going to need to cross the street and get to the next set if we want to get away."

"You sure that's a good idea?" Mighty asked. "With the streetlights and all, if we get spotted…"

"…if we get spotted it'll be no different than if we get caught by one of the patrols here, except that this way we'll have a running start on our pursuers."

"Makes sense," Sonic said, putting in his two cents, "but the more we have to do this, the greater our risk."

"Can't be helped, hedgehog. It's either run the risk or be caught for sure." As the trio stepped out of the safety of their alley, a loud crash shook the earth beneath them. Looking up Espio was more than a little upset to find himself looking at one of G.U.N.'s notorious Big Foot units. The automaton's guns shown in the light as all three Mobian's froze to stare at the behemoth that seemed to be looking down at them disdainfully.

Sonic's mind was a flurry of activity. On the one hand he knew he was more than fast enough to out run the lumbering mech, and if he could get away before it sounded any sort of alarm, there was no way the police could catch him. On the other were his friends. Espio could easily avoid detection by turning invisible. Unlike other Mobian chameleons whose collars housed small tracking devices to keep them from completely going off radar, Espio's had been disabled by Vector, thus eliminating any threat to him. But then there was Mighty.

The armadillo had no natural defenses against detection nor a way to evade, and while Sonic felt fairly sure his old friend was more than a match for the Big Foot physically, that did nothing if the other humans intervened. And of course there was the fact that pride would not allow Mighty to relinquish the artifact he carried. He'd be caught, he'd go to jail, and most likely Sonic would never see him again, especially if G.U.N. was involved as the Big Foot seemed to indicate. Finally he tossed the sack containing the rainbow colored crystals to Espio.

"Run, I'll hold him off," Sonic yelled. Surprise fell upon the other two Mobians' faces as the cobalt hedgehog leapt forward in attack of the robot before its pilot could fully bring his weapons to bear.

"Sonic," Mighty called; moving forward to help, only to have his free shoulder grabbed by Espio.

"He's fast enough to get away, we're not," Espio pointed out.

"I'm not leaving him behind."

"We're not; we're getting out of his way as quickly as possible so he doesn't have to stay long. Now get moving." Casting one last glance back at his friend, Mighty followed the chameleon's lead.

* * *

As it turned out, Sonic and the others needn't have been so worried about the pilot of the Big Foot spotting them. Mistrustful of sensors which could easily be fooled, the young human had completely disregarded the info coming in to his computer, opting instead to seek visual confirmation. Thus it was that, despite their having exited the alleyway right in front of his own vehicle, the pilot had failed to even notice the black clad Mobians. At least he didn't notice them until Sonic charged up the machine like a black blur, slamming into the sensor array on the machine's "head" and thus disabling it.

"What the…" the pilot said as he swiveled the Big Foot's waist, attempting to find whatever it was that had just blindsided him. With their receivers broken and damaged, the sensors, which had been giving warning of the hedgehog's attack, could only make bare readings on the attacker, further adding to the young man's confusion.

"This is Spider Troop's Big Foot. I am under attack by… something moving at an incredible speed," the pilot began as he pressed the keys to initiate the defensive system. "I repeat, Big Foot is under attack by the C2, requesting back up."

* * *

Sonic leapt off the machine just as a coat of electricity washed over it, obviously the mech's defense against physical assault. Careful to stay out of the view of the cockpit, the hedgehog raced up a nearby building and landed on the guardrail of a fire escape, waiting for the electricity to die down. He needed to disable this monster, and quickly, or else he'd be the one caught, and he couldn't afford that. Aiming himself carefully the quick Mobian tumbled forward and launched himself. Allowing gravity to accelerate his somewhat diminutive body, Sonic tucked himself into a sharp and spiny ball and smashed into the cockpit, his sharp quills doing an impressive amount of damage as he bounced away. Inside the glass hatch he could see the human pilot scrambling to keep track of him as he kept moving and not having much luck. A good thing too as one of the arm guns was brought to bear, firing what appeared to be very sharp darts.

_&Guy's trying to make me into a pincushion,&_ Sonic quipped to himself. Humor was always a good thing. If he wasn't scared enough to stop cracking jokes, even if they were only to himself, he was fairly certain he wouldn't be killed. Suddenly the hedgehog stopped and his mouth fell open as he watched two missiles leave the shoulder racks and speed towards him. Both missiles suddenly opened up revealing nasty looking nets with weights attached to each corner, obviously intended to capture the Mobian. Jumping and twirling in the air, Sonic managed to avoid both speeding capture devices, much to the chagrin of the pilot, and race forward until he was right under the giant mechanical man. Leaping upward, and once more tucking himself into a ball, Sonic left a huge cut that completely bisected the military monster from its steel groin to its neck before Sonic shot into the air.

Once more aiming himself, the hedgehog landed on the mech's shoulder, delivering a slicing kick to a few of the wires connecting the missile pod to the actual shoulder, and hopefully disconnecting the weapon. With his other foot Sonic leapt backward and smashed a fist into the cockpit controls again. This time, however, the pilot was ready for him, and activated the electric field. Raw energy surged through Sonic's hapless body, causing all of his muscles to freeze up as he yelped in pain. Fortunately, thanks to his attack on the robot, his body remained at an odd angle and he couldn't keep his balance, causing him to tumble back to earth. Momentarily stunned by the electric field, Sonic was only barely able to avoid the stomping foot of the Big Foot as the pilot attempted to squish him.

_&One more hit oughta do it,&_ the hedgehog thought to himself as he tap danced out of the way of another barrage of darts. Suddenly the sound of several feet hitting the pavement came to his blue ears. _&But I gotta end this quick!&_

From its still intact shoulder pod, Big Foot launched another net missile, but this time Sonic was ready. He raced forward and jumped, landing on the missile before it had a chance to explode and expand into a net. So stunned by this display of accuracy and speed was the pilot that he forgot to activate the mech's defensive field, thus giving Sonic his last clear shot at the delicate controls as he leapt from the missile. As the computers sparked and sizzled all around him, the pilot tried desperately to regain control of his machine as it tumbled forward, crashing into the street beneath it. And all around him, the hedgehog could hear the ever nearing footsteps. Giving his adversary a quick glance to make sure he had survived his crack-up, Sonic sped off as fast as he could, racing to one of the buildings at the corner and using his super-speed to ascend it much as he'd done the museum. A fraction of a second later, several armed humans wearing black body armor appeared in the street, aiming their guns in every direction as they spotted the wrecked Big Foot. Giving the assembled crimestoppers his own crude and disrespectful version of a salute, Sonic took off across the roofs. Thus it was that he missed the appearance of the black hedgehog wearing a blood red coat, an angry expression on his face as he began to scream at the unfortunate, and only semi-conscious, Big Foot pilot.

Quickly Sonic made his way over the roofs of the city, glad to finally have an alternative way to evade capture by these overenthusiastic policemen. Suddenly the sound of more gunfire drew the hedgehog's attention, especially since it wasn't coming from the direction of the group he'd just left, but ahead of him. Sonic's thoughts turned immediately towards Mighty or Espio being caught and he headed over to investigate. At the source of the disturbance Sonic found, not his armadillo or chameleon companions, but the familiar form of a fox trailing a thick cloak behind him… and being chased by more cops.

For a few brief moments Sonic felt a bitter sense of vindication. He'd suffered jail time and a beating because of this little kid that apparently didn't have the good sense to stay away from dangerous areas, and now the fox was in a similar position. The feeling didn't last however, as he saw one of the humans raise a rifle and aim for the back of the kid's head. Grabbing a rock, Sonic threw it with an accuracy all his own, striking the shooter in the head and causing him to tumble over and miss his shot.

_&But the kid's still in danger,&_ Sonic thought to himself as he watched the orange form zigzag through the alleys from his vantage point. For a moment the hedgehog considered leaving. He had problems of his own, people who depended on him, reasons he could not be caught here, none of which revolved around this boy and his desperate bid to remain free. Who could judge him for ignoring this problem, who would even know? And yet, even as those thoughts crept through Sonic's mind, the young hedgehog found himself moving over to the edge of the building and racing down it.

The fox known as C2 was not having a good time. Not only had he lost the bottle he'd so painstakingly fished out of the garbage, now he was being chased by more humans, just as he'd been chased back at the lab from which he'd escaped.

_&At least that scary hedgehog isn't here this time,&_ the boy thought as he narrowly avoided one of the stinging cylinders the humans were firing at him. Still, this was not what he'd envisioned when he'd planned on coming to the city, and he was beginning to regret his decision.

Suddenly the kit's foot slipped on some of the grime in the alley he as currently traveling through, causing him to stumble and fall, sliding for a few feet on his furry belly before stopping in a heap on the ground. The kitsune tried to scramble back to his feet, only to grunt loudly as a large foot stamped harshly onto his back, forcing him back to his belly. The familiar clicking of guns came to his ears as the gun-wielding humans aimed their weapons at him.

"Don't move, kid," one commanded as a second lifted a walkie-talkie to his ear.

"This is Tango team, we found your little science project, over," the man said. C2's eyes bulged a little as more weight was put on him, driving the air from his lungs as it did so.

"Don't get what was so special about this twerp. Doesn't seem too hard to deal with."

"Don't get cocky Martin, they're saying he took down the Big Foot," the walkie-talkie holder said.

"Den maybe we should tranq him now," another suggested, jamming the barrel of his gun into the fox's side and making him yelp. Suddenly the foot lifted as a hand grabbed the vulpine by the scruff of his neck, hauling him to his feet. His neck was soon released as the hand and its mate grabbed his wrists and held them above his head.

"Good idea, I'll hold 'im still," the fox's captor said as the gun barrel that had previously jabbed his side aimed at the white fur of his belly. The gun was never fired as a black figure suddenly fell from the sky, its foot connecting viciously with the human who'd been holding the gun and sending him backwards.

"Five on one and for a little kit no less?" a spiny looking figure that seemed to be a hedgehog asked. Immediately the kit's blood went cold as he envisioned the same black hedgehog that had tried to keep him in the lab. "Don't you think you're overdoing it a bit?" The four still standing humans focused on their attacker in the darkness of the alley, no mean feat considering he was covered in black fabric. For his part, Sonic too appraised the people he'd just attacked, and the more he saw the less sure he was about wanting to engage them. Body armor, specialized combat equipment, fairly no-nonsense attitudes…

_&If these guys are cops, I'll swear off chili-dogs permanently,&_ Sonic thought to himself. Everything about them seemed to scream military, an observation that helped to explain the presence of the Big Foot the hedgehog had battled. _&Something tells me this wasn't about a museum heist.&_

"This is none of your concern Mobian," the lead soldier, as Sonic was becoming inclined to think of them, announced. "Withdraw and return to your home and we will ignore your interference."

"Pardon my ignorance, but I see five armed thugs chasing down a boy and then gettin' ready to shoot him, and I can't help but get involved."

"Our orders were to capture this target alive," the leader said as he reached into the belt around his waist and pulled forth a serrated combat knife from its sheath, an act that was copied by his two remaining squadmates while the third kept hold of the fox. "You don't get any such luxury."

Not giving his enemies a chance to form up against him, Sonic surged forward, planting his elbow into the stomach of the soldier that was closest to him. The short distance combined with the hedgehog's great speed allowed him to take the trained soldier by complete surprise as the man doubled over and grabbed his injured midsection, inadvertently bending his knees as he did so. Seeing his chance Sonic dropped to the ground, extending a leg out and sweeping it at his opponent's now vulnerable knees, effectively cutting his legs out from under him and causing the soldier to fall backward. Before Sonic could finish his fallen opponent, instinct took over and he found himself jerking his head quickly to the side, just in time to avoid the knife that had been thrust forward in an attempt to puncture his neck from behind. Pulling his legs back under him, Sonic pushed backwards, sending his spiny back crashing into his attacker. Sharp quills, even though covered by the thin fabric of his black shirt, quickly found purchase on the soldier's face, drawing blood as they penetrated the soft skin. Howling in pain, the man reared backwards, dropping his knife as he grabbed his injured face. Quickly turning on his heel, Sonic used the human as a living pommel horse, vaulting over him and launching himself at the soldier holding the kid. His hands occupied by the now furiously squirming vulpine, the soldier proved an easy target as Sonic flipped in the air and planted both of his heels on the man's nose, breaking the protruding proboscis and forcing him to release his captive. Once both Mobians were on the ground, Sonic grabbed hold of the kid's shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked. The last vestiges of terror faded from the kit's eyes as he slowly recognized the blue hedgehog that had saved him not but a few days ago, and C2 quickly nodded his head in affirmation.

"Hold it right there, hedgehog!" the leader commanded, discarding his knife in favor of a small pistol he now aimed at the hedgehog. With a loud bang the gun fired, the deadly bullet it expelled flying directly for Sonic's unprotected head. Suddenly, a flash of orange fur moved to intercept the projectile, allowing it to become buried in a different target's flesh. The fox yelped as he gripped his wounded shoulder, his body curling up into a ball as he tried his best to block out the pain that now exploded from the hole. Angrily Sonic prepared to charge at the soldier.

"I'm gonna shove that gun so far up your butt…" The hedgehog's threat was interrupted by a loud roar as several formerly parked cars became airborne and made their way past the alley's opening, drawing the attention of both Mobian and human. The fox's eyes, even welled up with tears from the pain of the bullet he'd taken, widened as he recognized the sound of the roar, while Sonic's quills practically quivered as the air around him became alive with a malevolent sort of energy. Deciding he wanted no part of whatever it was making such a scene, the hedgehog took advantage of the soldiers' current distraction, gathering the fox in his arms as he raced off at a top speed for safety.

* * *

On top of a distant building with a clear view of the alley all this had occurred in, Knuckles watched as a furious Shadow arrived on the scene, once more too late to catch his quarry, or the little blue wrench that had been thrown by fate into Cyberon's plans. Sharp eyes searched to find the blue hedgehog again, but he was gone, much to the echidna's great surprise. Slowly he relaxed the string of his drawn bow, saving the arrow he'd loaded into it for a later date. The fox had once more escaped the hands of the Robotniks and while he would no doubt lay low again, now that Knuckles had tasted of his aura, it would not be difficult to find the boy. The green crystalline arrowhead of his weapon suddenly began to shimmer, a clear sign that he would need to find a suitable place to contact home again. No doubt his elders would be displeased he had not acted, but the necessity of secrecy for this endeavor had been well explained to the young warrior. Allowing G.U.N. to know of his involvement, not to mention Cyberon's pet hedgehog, was unacceptable to the echidna, at least until he was absolutely sure he could complete his appointed task.

"Enjoy your time left, little one," Knuckles quietly spoke to the very wind itself, wondering if the whimsical element would deign to carry his words to certain foxy ears.

To be continued…


	4. Down the Rabbit Hole

Power Enriched by the Heart

by Asher Tye

Disclaimer: Sega owns Sonic and crew, and that includes Robotnik and Shadow. I'm not sure who owns the other characters, whether it be Archie, DiC, or whoever did Sonic Underground, but I know it's not me so whichever one owns them I give full props to.

Author's Note: Okay, short note this time. I do not have any medical experience, particularly dealing with gunshot wounds. That being said, I'd prefer it if people refrained from pointing out any mistakes I made with this chapter on the subject. I'm taking this experience from television and I know it's probably not strictly realistic, but you have to admit it is dramatic. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

"What do you mean you lost him!" Shadow blazed at the five G.U.N. soldiers as they stood in front of him, one holding his injured nose as all looked miserable before the raging Mobian. It was the leader who came forward to answer for his squad.

"The target received outside assistance, sir," the sergeant explained.

"'Outside assistance?' You're supposed to be a highly trained G.U.N. unit, capable of handling anything that could conceivably interfere with your mission. What 'outside assistance' could possibly have enabled an eight-year old cub to escape from you?"

"It… it was a Mobian," one of the soldiers answered. For a brief moment, Shadow seemed to only quiver.

"That's it?" he finally asked, rounding on the soldier. "One Mobian?"

"It was a hedgehog dressed in black… We actually thought he was you for a few seconds, that's why we didn't attack him first," the leader explained. Shadow retaliated immediately, punching the soldier in the stomach and collapsing him to the ground. Angrily Shadow grabbed the man's collar and pulled him close to the hedgehog's face.

"NEVER try to use ME as an excuse for YOUR incompetence," Shadow growled, spitting the last word as though it was the bitterest of tastes in his mouth.

"SHADOW!" a nasally voice barked as Snively approached, though he did seem to do so warily, prepared to bolt if the black and red hedgehog wasn't interested in listening. For a few brief moments this seemed to be the case as a gray energy began to glow off of the hedgehog while he cast a baleful look back towards the long-nosed human. Nearby a discarded soda can started to rattle and quake as it began to dent inward, as though being crushed by some invisible force. "You remember your orders, don't you?" Snively half-threatened, half-begged. The dark hedgehog's eyes closed and he took a breath, opening them once more to reveal a much more composed and neutral, if still annoyed, face.

"Very well," Shadow responded, releasing the man whose collar he still held.

"Fine. Now then, tell me about this Mobian who interfered."

* * *

"SONIC HEDGEHOG! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" Amy screamed as Sonic walked through the door of his apartment, a furious look on her face as Sonia and Manic stood behind her, worried looks on their twin faces. Presently, however, Sonic was more concerned with the darker pink hedgehog female who was currently grinding his eardrums into dirt.

"Amy, what are you doing here?" Sonic asked, surprise in his voice.

"Your brother and sister had the good sense to call me when midnight came around and you apparently hadn't turned up," Amy said. "And then that loutish friend of yours Mighty called asking if you managed to make it home safely or if you needed help!" Sonic's eyes widened at the mention of Mighty's name. In truth he hadn't told anyone the complete truth about what he was doing tonight, being very sure to omit the armadillo's name from everyone as he knew what conclusions they'd make if he did so.

"Look I can explain, but…"

"No 'buts' Sonic Hedgehog. Do you have any idea how worried we've been? All we could think about was you lying dead in the street somewhere, or rotting away in a jail cell, or frelling SQUISHED under a damned BIGFOOT! And for what? Money?" Amy yelled, suddenly reaching into her purse and throwing her wallet down at Sonic's feet. "If you need money, frelling ask me; don't let that frelling slime-ball talk you into putting yourself in danger." This was not good. As a typical rule Amy did not curse, unless she was under a fantastic amount of stress.

"Why didn't you at least call, Sonic?" Sonia asked.

"It wasn't like that," Sonic tried to explain. "It was just supposed to be a quick job, in and out…"

"How the HELL does that explain anything?" Amy rebuffed her boyfriend angrily.

"I mean the Bigfoot mech was a surprise and…"

"And what? You couldn't use those stupidly fast feet of yours to outrun it."

"If I had, Mighty and Espio…"

"Frell 'Mighty and Espio,' I don't care about 'Mighty and Espio,' 'Mighty and Espio' can jump off a tall frelling building for all I care about them! You're the one I care about, and to find out you lied to me just so you could live out some stupid fantasy and rob a museum!" Suddenly Sonic's hand shot out, covering Amy's mouth to quiet her. For a brief moment, a look of absolute fury passed over the pink hedgehog's face as she felt this brazen act, at least until she noticed the blood stain on her blue beau's normally white glove.

"Amy, I'd love to go into this in detail, and believe me I know I owe all three of you a massive apology, seriously, but I've got a bit of a problem," Sonic said, worry in his voice. Amy removed Sonic's hand and looked fearfully at him.

"Oh my God Sonic, what happened?" Amy begged; tears forming in her eyes as her mind began to imagine the worst.

"Geez Sonic, did you get shot?" Manic asked as he ran over to his brother. Only then did the green hedgehog, indeed all the hedgehogs present, notice the gray bundle resting in the hedgehog's arms, a bit of orange fur showing to them.

"Don't worry, I'm not hurt, but he is," Sonic replied, pulling aside some of the gray cloak to reveal an unconscious fox kit resting somewhat fitfully in the hedgehog's arm, blood from the wound on his shoulder soaking the normally orange fur that surrounded it.

"What in the… He's been shot!" Sonia squeaked as she looked at the wound.

"Sonic we have to get this boy to a hospital," Amy proclaimed as Sonic entered the apartment properly, gently lowering the small furry body to the wooden coffee table. Quickly he turned back to his girlfriend, a hard look in his eyes.

"Amy, I just saved this kid from a group of military guys with guns who were getting ready to shoot him," Sonic explained. "What part of that little scenario seems even remotely like it's on the level."

"They were gonna shoot him?" Manic asked incredulously before his brow furrowed in anger. "Those stinkin' human…"

"Not now Manic," Sonic stopped the boy mid-rant, turning back to Amy. "Babe, if we take him to a hospital, how long before those jokers find him again and finish the job?" The nurse shifted her gaze between her lover and the boy he'd carried in, trying desperately to figure out what to say. "The hospital is not going to be able to keep him safe if anyone comes asking for him, especially not if they're carrying government papers."

"So what are we gonna do about him?" Sonia asked. Rather than look at her, Sonic kept his eyes focused on Amy. Though the high-speed hedgehog said nothing, Amy was still quick to pick up on the message being given.

"Oh no," the pink hedgehog said, shaking her head as she held up her hands defensively. "No, no, no. You're out of your mind Sonic."

"You're the only one here who can help him Amy, the only one I can trust."

"That's not fair Sonic and you know it. You can't expect me to do this, you're nuts if you do." Before the young woman could back away further, Sonic grabbed hold of her wrist.

"Amy, please. If not you, then who?" Amy looked around. Manic and Sonia had turned their own attentions towards the elder female, waiting to see what her response would be. Sighing in defeat, Amy's arms dropped to her sides.

"I have an emergency medical kit in my car," Amy admitted. "I can check over the injury, but if it's too serious, we don't have a choice but the hospital, all right?"

"Fine," Sonic said, accepting the nurse's terms.

"Get him comfortable and clean him up. Sonic, if you have anything that can cut fur, shave his shoulder. Sonia, I need you to round up some gloves and hot water, and I mean boiling hot. Manic, find something we can put in his mouth."

"Why?" the punky hedgehog asked.

"Even if I don't do anything, I'll wager this is going to hurt, and a screaming little kid is going to attract a lot of unwanted attention." Now Amy turned to leave. "I'll be right back." All three hedgehogs scrambled to fulfill the medical professional's requests. Sonia smiled as the water she'd placed in their cleanest pot began to boil just as the other pink hedgehog returned. On the coffee table, Sonic had removed the clasp of the boy's cloak, noting silently the yellow crystal that decorated it, and just finished exposing his shoulder, looking up at Amy as she set her bag down. Manic brought in a thick hand towel he'd wound up into a tight cylinder as Sonia arrived with the water. Inside the bag, Amy pulled out a bottle of rubbing alcohol, pouring some onto a cloth and wiping the wound with it.

"Okay Manic, put the towel in his mouth," Amy commanded. The green boy nodded his head and began to try to open the kit's mouth. Almost immediately the fox began to wiggle and try to knock Manic's arms away. "Sonic, keep him still, don't let him move his arm."

"Right." Sonic's hands quickly locked on the kit's wrists as he held the boy down while Manic tried to use his weight to keep his body still.

"Sonia, there's a tube marked Tetracaine in my bag, hand it to me." After a few minutes, two pink hands met over a white tube that very vaguely resembled toothpaste. Unscrewing the cap, Amy squeezed a small amount of what looked like cream onto her gloved fingers and began to gently smear it onto the wounded flesh. The unconscious boy winced and struggled harder, but was no match for Sonic and Manic.

"What do I do now?" Sonia asked, unwilling to be totally useless in this little endeavor.

"Get another clean bowl and pour some of that alcohol into it," Amy commanded, reaching into the boiled water and withdrawing a small pair of metal forceps. "I'm going to get the bullet out." Once more Sonia was off as Amy put a small penlight in her mouth and began to gently inspect the small hole in the boy's shoulder. Her eyes widened as she looked inside.

"What's wrong Amy?" Sonic asked, noticing his Ms. Rose's shocked face.

"I'm… I'm not sure Sonic, but the bullet is not here," Amy answered.

"Did it fall out?" Manic asked, trying to maneuver his head so he could see as well, only to be told to desist by his elder brother.

"I don't know, I've never heard of them falling out before," Amy admitted. "But the wound doesn't look all that deep. This doesn't appear to be as bad as it looked before."

"That's good."

"Here's the bowl," Sonia said, placing the aforementioned object down on the ground beside her friend.

"There doesn't appear to be anything in here. With any luck I can close up the wound and it'll heal. We just need to treat it with some antibiotics." The pink hedgehog reached into her bag again and pulled out some thread and a needle, placing both in the alcohol. "Hopefully this will sterilize them enough to use." Soon the hedgehog was busy stitching up the boy's wound, much to his own discomfort as the fox began to let out a pitiful whimpering as she did so.

"Okay, that's the best I can do," Amy said as she finished and began to wrap some bandages around the damaged shoulder. "All we can do now is let him rest for the night. I'll check his bandages tomorrow and make sure there's no infection. But Sonic, if there is, we have to take him to a hospital."

"But…"

"Even if those killers do find out he's there, it's better than letting him die here, isn't it?"

"I suppose," Sonic admitted, though it was obvious to all he didn't much like this option. "Okay, we see what tomorrow brings."

"Why do you suppose they were so hot for him?" Manic asked as he gave the small orange body now laying on his family's coffee table a closer inspection. "Think it's 'cause he's a mutant?" The one blue and two pink hedgehogs looked suddenly at their green compatriot, who stood at the fox's bare feet.

"Manic Hedgehog, what would possess you to say such a thing?" Sonia asked. "What could possibly make you think this cute little guy is a mutant?"

"Well these for starters," Manic answered as he picked up the fox's tail in one hand… and a second tail in the other.

"Whoa," Sonic announced as he walked over to his younger brother, taking both tails in his own hands as if to make sure they were indeed real. "I… I thought I was just seeing things before." Suddenly, the two fluffy tails began to moved and flick around in Manic's grip, obviously trying to extricate themselves from the blue Mobian's grip.

"I wonder if he has any, you know powers?" Manic continued. "Like maybe he can blow stuff up with his mind, or fire lasers from his eyes, or maybe…"

"Manic, this is real life, not a comic book," his sister pointed out. "But it does kinda beg the question of who he is."

"Nyah… nana nyah," came a groggy voice as the odd fox's eyes slowly opened to half, as though the conversation that had been transpiring around him had roused his senses. Orbs of clear cerulean hue slowly focused on his surroundings as the young kit woke up. Patches of color resolved themselves to blurry shapes, and finally to figures as each of the hedgehogs came into view. Startled at finding himself waking up surrounded, the young kit immediately tried to scramble away on his back, inadvertently falling off the table and tangling himself up in the long cloak that had formerly been fastened over his shoulders. The impact of the fall caused the pup to yelp in pain, an especially shrill yipping sound that caused all four Mobians to cover their ears as it hit them. With them currently incapacitated, the fox scurried on all fours, or threes thanks to his being unable to put much weight on his injured shoulder, into the bathroom, shoving the door closed with a loud slam that, strangely enough, did nothing to mask the clicking sound of the lock being tripped.

"What was that about?" Manic asked.

"Think about it," Amy Rose said. "Last thing he remembers he was being shot at, and then he wakes up here with a pain in his shoulder… poor kid's probably terrified."

"Well we can't just let him stay in there all night," Sonic said as he walked into the kitchen, pulling open the drawer where the hedgehog trio kept their odds and ends and removing a screwdriver and a hammer.

"Sonic what are you going to do?" Amy asked.

"I'm taking the door off the hinges," the blue hedgehog responded. "Unless anyone here knows how to pick locks." It was at this point, Manic slowly raised his hand. "You know kid, considering how edgy I am, I don't think it's a good idea for you to let me know that." The hand zoomed back down to the green hedgehog's side.

"Sonic, are you sure that's a good idea?"

"You said we need to get him to rest, right? And it's not like you can check his wound if he's locked himself in there."

"Yes, but do you really think it's a good idea to just come crashing in on him. If he's feral, he might hurt himself… or you."

"Me I can handle, but after all the trouble I went to ta get the little guy here, I'm not about to let him do something stupid just because he locked himself in the bathroom. Manic, come help me." Manic grabbed hold of the screwdriver and held it upside down under the middle door hinge as Sonic began to tap on it from the bottom. Slowly but surely the pin rose from its place until the blue hedgehog was able to simply pull it free. They repeated this same procedure with the other two pins, thus negating the ability of the lock to prevent them from entering. "Sonia, Amy, go stand by the door and window. If he bolts, I don't want to have to chase him all over the city again."

"Right."

"Whaddya want me ta do?" Manic asked, "Help ya go in and nab him?"

"Ain't gonna try to nab him, Manny, not unless I have to," Sonic explained as he prepared to pull the door free. "But you're my first line of defense in case he gets past me." Manic pounded his fist into his hand, a determined look on his face as he got himself into a blocking stance. Sonic shook his head as he eyed his weird brother and then he removed the door.

Inside the bathroom was dark. The kit apparently had the sense to keep the light off before hiding, but the blue hedgehog remedied this with a flick of the light switch. Now with proper illumination, Sonic's emerald eyes slowly scanned the white tiled room.

_&How the heck could he disappear in some place so small?&_ Sonic asked himself as he carefully opened up the small cabinet under the sink. No orange fur greeted him however, and he moved on. Close inspection of the toilet revealed no small bodies hiding around it, which left only one more possible hiding spot. Carefully Sonic pulled back the shower curtain of the bathtub just a little bit and slowly peered inside. Sure enough, the kit had used his tails to curl up into a tight ball that was currently quivering in the far end of the tub. Quietly the elder Mobian sat at the furthest edge, his muscles tensed just in case he had to move quickly, as he pushed the curtain so that it was all on the fox's side.

"Hey there little fella, remember me?" Sonic cooed in his gentlest voice. To his credit, the hedgehog was not foolish enough to extend any of his limbs towards the kit, lest his earlier assumptions prove true and the fox turn out to be truly feral. At the sound of Sonic's voice, a single pointed ear rose from the quivering ball of orange fur, a clear indication that the boy was at least hearing his voice. "You remember me, don'tcha? I'm the guy that helped you escape from those dorks with the guns…" Another rose, and from the ridge of a foxy thigh, Sonic could just barely make out an eye peering out at him. With a friendly smile, Sonic waved. "Hi." For a few minutes, the two Mobians remained still, staring at each other. Finally, the apartment's owner chose to speak again. "I gotta think you feel cramped all bunched up over there," he said. "'Specially with that shoulder all beat up like that. If you want you could stretch yourself out a little. Bath tub's pretty big for a squirt like you." Almost immediately the ball of flesh and fur became tighter as the fox's head shook furiously in a negative response, but Sonic couldn't help but notice that both ears remained standing tall.

_&He may not trust me completely, but he doesn't think I'm all bad,&_ Sonic thought. _&That's a start at least.&_

For his part, the fox could still see the hedgehog, though the image was somewhat obscured by his own fur. Puzzlement ran through the cub's mind as he stared at the blue Mobian who had saved him, for what purpose the fox could not understand. Though not the same black hedgehog as before, this one, this "Sonic" as the others had termed him, most definitely was strong enough to force C2 into doing whatever it was he needed the fox for. And yet, beyond simply taking him home, the hedgehog had shown little overt aggression. For a few more minutes they stared at each other, though C2 was quite sure "Sonic" didn't realize it.

"Hey Sonic, how much longer is this gonna take?" came a youthful voice. The fox didn't dare raise his head enough to see who had spoken, lest the blue hedgehog decide to take the opportunity to attack.

"Be patient Manic, this takes time," Sonic called back, breaking his gaze from the curled up cub as he did so. All too quickly those emerald eyes returned.

_&What does he want with me?&_ the kit asked himself. Suddenly, Sonic's weight shifted, and C2 prepared for the imminent pain of an attack, closing his eyes in an attempt to hide further. When no feeling of pain, save for the dull one in his shoulder, came, the fox's eyes opened and he once more raised his head slightly. One of the hedgehog's feet, now bereft of the running shoe it had once worn, sat on the side of the tub as the hedgehog leaned back against wall, his hard quills making a dull scraping noise as they rubbed against the tiles.

"You know," Sonic said, "if you're afraid of some sorta payback for when we met a few days ago, you don't have to be. I'm not really mad about that any more." C2's mind drifted back as he remembered. The confrontation with the human gang, there had been a blue hedgehog that had saved him.

_ &This IS the same hedgehog?&_ the kit thought to himself. In truth he hadn't stuck around long enough to see the end of that little fight, preferring to escape while everyone's attention had not been focused on him. _&I guess this really is two I owe him, but why would he help me?& _More curious now than fearful, the fox's white muzzle appeared over his hip as his sensitive nose drew in some of the Mobian's scent, proving his story.

Though he still did not trust the hedgehog, C2 slowly found himself wanting to. And, truth be known, he was indeed starting to feel cramped all crammed up in the tub. Inch by inch, the kit uncoiled himself and stretched his leg out. For his part, Sonic stayed perfectly still so as not to startle the kit. As he watched, more and more of the fox's body was revealed as his tails moved away, showing off his white belly fur and plump body.

_&Odd, I had this kid pegged as homeless, but he looks too well-fed to have been on the street for very long,&_ Sonic thought. Finally the fox sat up, his back against the wall just as Sonic's was, his blue eyes staring into Sonic's green. From this vantage, C2 could see from the corner of his eye a second hedgehog, the small green one he'd seen earlier, and obviously the impatient voice from before if the tapping of his foot was any indicator.

"Little guy?" Sonic said, drawing the fox's full attention back to him. "Look, I understand you're a little nervous, we're not exactly people you know, but I promise we're not going to hurt you." Tentatively the fox turned his head. Though Sonic remained in his peripheral vision, the blue hedgehog recognized the kid was starting to become a little more comfortable with them. Deciding it was time to run a risk, Sonic swung his leg back down off the side of the tub and fit his foot back into his shoe before standing up. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm tired of looking at the same four walls." With that, Sonic moved away from the tub, and the fox it held, and out towards Manic.

"Manic, come on," Sonic whispered to his younger brother, careful not to allow the fox to catch his voice.

"What?"

"Don't block the door, or he might not come out."

"You think this is wise Sonic?" Sonia asked. "I mean if he bolts…"

"If he bolts, then I was wrong and I'll deal with it, but we can't just rip him out of there. We've gotta show him he's safe here, otherwise he ain't comin' out no how, no way." Nonchalantly Sonic took a seat on the couch and, using the remote, flipped on the television. "Sit down." The two younger hedgehogs obeyed, each taking a seat to the blue one's left. A sideways glance revealed the fox to still be in the tub, though he was now clearly watching the trio. Casually Sonic turned the channel to the news, hoping to catch something on the robbery earlier while he waited for the fox to make his decision. A few moments later, a soft thud could be heard from the bathroom and Sonic's eye moved almost imperceptibly to gaze inside the room. Shivering with a fear that comes from uncertainty, the fox had stepped out of the tub and was currently clinging to the wall for support as he stood. Fifteen minutes later heralded the sound of clicking as sharp, uncut nails padded across tile floor. He still clung to the wall, and now the doorframe, but he was approaching.

"Sonic, what do we do when he gets here?" Sonia asked in a hushed voice.

"Act normally, don't make any sudden moves, and follow… my… lead," Sonic answered back, stressing the last point. Out of sight but still nearby, Amy remained by the window, her eyes still on the bathroom door, ready to block the kit if he did truly decide to simply bolt for the window. Thirty more minutes passed and Sonic could suddenly see a pair of pointy fox ears poking out from the arm of the sofa. A small black nose and white muzzle poked its way around the couch's corner as well, its owner testing the waters as he allowed his presence to be known.

"Hey there little guy, glad you decided to come out," Sonic said, smiling down at the kit, mimicked by his two siblings. A gloved hand slapped the empty seat next to him. "Wanna sit down, bet it'd be more comfortable than just standing there." Looking around timidly, thoughts of a sudden attack coming from anywhere in his mind, the kit nevertheless nodded. Carefully the boy climbed up into the couch, quick to take a position as far away from the hedgehogs who were now staring at him as possible while remaining on the furniture.

"So, uh, you gotta name?" Manic asked, drawing the attention of not only the fox, but his brother and sister as well.

"Manic," Sonia said, upset the green hedgehog had not done as their guardian had instructed and simply followed his lead.

"No, no, it's all right," Sonic said, holding his hand up for silence. The last thing that would help would be if Manic and Sonia began griping at each other. "I guess we need something to call him other than 'kid.'" All four hedgehogs gazed at the kit expectantly, an act that caused the young fox to grab hold of one of his tails and begin to play with the tip nervously. "Do you have a name?" Sonic asked, somewhat hoping that the question would at least elicit a head movement from the suddenly self-conscious Mobian. Very slightly the orange head moved up and down, nodding in an affirmative fashion.

"Do you want to tell us?" Sonia asked. No answer came for a few minutes as the blue eyes focused on her. Small hands dropped the tail they'd been fiddling with and went straight to the kit's head, covering his ears as his eyes squeezed shut and his legs folded up to bring his knees to his chest. A distressed sort of whimpering began to emanate from the fox as he started rocking back and forth on his haunches. His mind was in turmoil as he tried to feel out the request that had been made of him. How long ago had it been since he'd actually spoken? The humans who ran the lab he'd escaped from had cared little for conversation, confining their questions to requiring a simple "yes" or "no," answers that, as he'd slipped more and more into the hopelessness of his situation, he'd given with simple head movements. Now this hedgehog was asking him for information that wasn't so simple to communicate, and C2 was having a very difficult time trying to remember how his voice was supposed to work.

As he watched the fox's struggles, Sonic became very concerned. Had they pushed him too far? Was there some sort of repressed memory attached to the little foxling's identity? Slowly Sonic moved forward, his arm gently petting the child's head as he attempted to calm the boy down.

"Hey hey, easy does it pal," Sonic cooed. "You don't have to say if you don't…"

"M-M-Miles," the fox finally managed to force out of his mouth. "M-m-m-my… n-n-n-name… is… M-m-miles."

"Woah, dude CAN talk," Manic said. From the door Amy moved closer as well, slowly so as not to startle the kit, but closer all the same.

"Miles Prower," the fox finally concluded. "I… am… Miles Prower." Sonic's hand shot backwards just in time to shove Manic back down, already sensing the laughing fit that was about to engulf the younger hedgehog.

"Miles Prower huh?" the hedgehog asked, not completely sure if he could believe such a ridiculous sounding name, but unwilling to shut the kid down again by giving voice to his concerns. Quickly he extended his hand to the now named fox. "Well Miles Prower, I'm Sonic Hedgehog…" The fox looked curiously at the extended hand for a moment before tentatively taking it in his own, just the slightest hint of surprise appearing on his face when it gave him a short shake. Then Sonic gestured back towards his pink sister. "This is my sister Sonia."

"Pleased to meet you," Sonia said, smiling a warm and friendly smile towards the kit.

"And this ball of quivering quills," Sonic said, indicating the green little pincushion that was currently doing his best to stifle his laughter, "is my baby brother Manic."

"Hey!" the suddenly indignant hedgehog yelled. "Ain't nothin' baby about me."

"Yeah, 'specially your mouth," Sonic quipped, receiving a slight punch to the shoulder from his green brother. Suddenly a second pink hand entered Miles's field of vision as a second female hedgehog made herself fully known.

"My name's Amy Rose," Amy said with a smile. Once more the fox grabbed onto one of his tails and began playing with it, his cerulean eyes staring, not at the Mobian who'd just introduced herself, but at the nurse's hat she wore. "Is something wrong?"

"H… H… Hat…" Miles answered.

"My hat?" Amy asked, removing the article of clothing from her head. "It's just a part of my uniform for my job, is something wrong with that?" Nervously the kit shook his head, afraid he'd offended the woman. Emboldened by being able to speak again though, Miles quickly ceased shaking his head, closed his eyes, and gave a few sharp nods. Once more his head became buried under his arms, as though he was expecting some sort of retaliation for this statement. "It's okay," Amy assured him. "I'm not mad."

"This is getting' weird, Ames," Sonic said, obviously just a little distressed himself at the implications of the fox's odd behavior. What had he gotten them into? "What the hell happened to this kid?"

"I don't know, Sonic," Amy answered back, stroking the shaking form.

"Maybe those creeps who tried to shoot him were using him for some kinda… experiment," Manic suggested. Once more Sonic moved to strike his younger brother for his rudeness, only to suddenly stop as he noticed that the once shaking fox was now practically quivering.

"Okay, this is bad," Sonia stated, getting up from the couch and beginning to pace, a clear sign that the she-hog was nervous.

"No duh sis," Manic answered back, laughing a little that this just seemed to cross his sibling's mind.

"She's right Manic, this has gone from spooky to downright scary," Amy pointed out. She turned back to the fox, her voice remaining gentle, but urgent. Something was definitely up here and it gave her a very bad feeling. "Why were those men after you? Where are your parents?"

"Don't… Don't know," Miles answered, rising from his balled up form just slightly. "I… I went to sleep, and woke up in the lab one morning."

"Okay, definitely bad news," Sonic surmised. "What lab? Where?"

"Not sure," came the reply, and a sense of frustration shot through Sonic's form. "but when I escaped, I wound up here."

"And they just followed you, either to get you back or keep this a secret," Sonic concluded. "So what are you gonna do now?" Tears began to well up in the fox's eyes as he looked at them.

"I… I want to go home," he whimpered. "I thought… if I came to the city… someone could… help me get there. But all everyone keeps doing is… yelling at me or chasing me. All I want to do is go home… why won't they let me go home!" Tears fell down the distressed vulpine's cheeks as he asked this question of no one in particular yet everyone at once. Quickly Miles grabbed his cloak, which still lay on the coffee table and brought it up to his face, blowing his ebony nose into the thick fabric as his tears streamed in as well. Amy's arm reached around and held the crying boy's shoulders, rubbing the tense muscles as she did so.

"Maybe we can help you," she offered, her generous nature shining through as Sonic's eyes widened a little, very interested in hearing his girlfriend's plan to pull off this little miracle.

"Any ideas how?" he finally asked. "I mean, I'm more than willing to help but I'm not exactly a match for the army or the navy or whoever's after this kid."

"Sonic, he was kidnapped. His parents have got to be looking for him, and if we tell them, they can probably come get him or find a way to help us send him home.

"You'll… you'll help me go home?" Miles asked; hope returning to his voice as he stared at Sonic. The blue hedgehog gazed into those puppy dog eyes that seemed to beg only for help, his heart melting for the plight of the poor cub.

"Fine, we'll help you, kid," Sonic said.

"Dr. Kintobor's offices have a link to the government citizen files," Amy said as she got up and grabbed her keys from the key rings. "When I go in tomorrow morning, I'll run a search on 'Miles Prower' and see if I can't find his parents."

"So what do we do in the mean time?" Sonic asked. Suddenly, a loud yawn erupted from the fox's mouth, showing off his sharp canines. Amy smiled as she saw that, having gotten to cry over the evening's events, the kit was beginning to show signs of weary sleep.

"Well, it looks to me like you guys need to figure out some sort of sleeping arrangement because I don't think you can afford to stay up too much later." As if to emphasize this point, Manic yawned as well, a sentiment that was echoed by Sonia, though she attempted to hide it by covering her mouth. A sideways glance at the room's clock showed it to be almost three in the morning, well past all of their bed times.

"You're right, we need to get to bed," Sonic realized.

"Right," Amy agreed, walking over and delivering a kiss to Sonic's lips. "I'll be heading home for the night and catch up with you tomorrow when I have some information on Miles here." With that, Amy opened the door to the apartment and left.

"Who's up for yawn movies?" Manic suggested, fighting it as his own eyelids began to droop.

"You heard the girlfriend; bed," Sonic commanded.

"Ah man," Manic said as he got up off the couch and began to trudge into the bedroom. It was then that the elder blue hedgehog noticed he still had a pink companion sitting with him.

"You too, Sonia."

"All right, all right," Sonia complied. Now Sonic turned back to his foxy houseguest, only to find that he had drawn his cloak around him and curled his body back into a fluffy, snug little ball, his eyes closed as he slept peacefully.

"Well, I guess I don't mind sharing," Sonic assured the sleeping kit as he went to the entryway closet and pulled forth his own blanket and pillows. With only one bedroom, and the occasional need for him and Amy to have their privacy, Sonic had co-opted the living room as his bedroom and the couch as his bed. Turning out the lights, the blue hedgehog lay down on the couch and went to sleep.

* * *

"K-k-kill me," the aged rat begged as he lay naked on the examination table, his limbs restrained by the straps used to hold resistant specimens in place. "P-p-please, just kill meeee-AHHH!" The rat screamed as a field of cyan energy began to cascade down upon his body, saturating his very being with energy. After only a few seconds, black smoke began to rise from the rat's fur as he thrashed about in his restraints, desperate to get away from the light blue energy that saturated his very form.

Atop the machine from which the rays of power descended sat a jewel of exactly the same shade, its multifaceted surface shimmering with a dimmed glow all its own as its power was siphoned off and into the tortured rat. Standing near the laboratory table, Shadow gazed at the jewel, recognizing it for what it was, the legendary Cyan Storm Chaos Emerald. From its place deep within his own cyber-organic body, the black hedgehog could feel his own Gray Dusk Chaos Emerald pulsing darkly, calling out to its lighter colored sibling, an act that tempted Shadow himself into simply grabbing the gem from its resting place. Ever the master of his own impulses, the dark one resisted, knowing full well the futility of such an action. Though his own emerald, the very source of his lifeforce and power, was active and virtually throbbing with energy, the cyan one remained dormant, it power and senses sealed for the time being. Hence the need to forcibly siphon off some of its limitless energy for what Shadow loosely termed an "experiment."

"You can't possibly believe this is going to lead to anything?" Shadow asked in a flat and unconcerned voice of the large human who stood at the machine's controls, slowly turning a dial to increase the intensity of what he privately referred to as the Emerald Cascade. "You're wasting your time if you think this rat is one of the Chaos Born."

"All Mobians are potentially Chaos Born, Shadow," Dr. Robotnik told his black and red minion as he watched his subject's formerly brown fur begin to grow black, a sure sign that such concentrated doses of the emerald's energies were frying the unlucky Mobian. "The nature of their creation almost assures it. I have long theorized that sufficient exposure to the chaos powers might be enough to awaken some rudimentary control over the emerald itself, a skill we need if we are going to use the Cyan Storm Chaos Emerald in our master plan." Black eyes lit by red irises moved to look at Shadow, a sight that would be unnerving to any other person. "And as to time, until our little C2 is found and returned, I have all the time in the world, wouldn't you say?" At his master's words, Shadow's own eyes glanced over at the second Emerald Cascade machine in the room, one which lacked its own emerald. Below it rested a table similar to the one the now still and wheezing rat lay on, its own restraints calibrated for someone significantly smaller in size than the rat. Even though long vacant, Shadow could taste the residual energies of the emerald that had been used in that machine; the Topaz Star Chaos Emerald.

The sound of an automatic door opening drew Shadow and Robotnik's attention as a diminutive and familiar form entered, carrying with it a clipboard.

"Ah my beloved nephew, I do trust everything went well?" the Doctor asked. Though his tone seemed friendly, even loving, years of observation and interaction between this man and his nephew allowed the younger human to fully understand that answering this question in the negative was likely to result in a rather harsh punishment.

"My meeting with the press went fairly well, considering. I managed to convince them that the Bigfoot unit that was destroyed was a prototype model, designed for the police SWAT team's arsenal," Snively answered. "No small feat, I assure you, but for a man of my abilities…"

"Don't crow Snively, it's just as much your fault as it is Shadow's that the target got away," Robotnik interrupted, turning the dial slightly and once more increasing the Emerald Cascade's intensity. A sharp shriek came from the restrained rat as tears that formed in his eyes were evaporated before they could make it down his cheek. Snively threw his Uncle an angered look that had nothing to do with the suffering sapient.

"My name is Colin, not Snively," he proclaimed through gritted teeth.

"When you have earned the name Colin, I shall refer to you as such. For now you are Snively and may heaven help you if you fail to respond to that call," the overlarge human responded as though he was stating one of the immutable facts of the universe. "Now then, are there any leads as to C2's whereabouts?"

"The G.U.N. soldiers say he was rescued," Shadow told him. "By something that apparently looked enough like me to prevent them from firing the moment they saw it and could move fast enough to evade my notice as I arrived." Robotnik's hand gripped a hold of his massive chin as he digested this new information.

"So, we're dealing with a hedgehog… and one that possesses a fantastic speed," the Doctor surmised. "Could it be one of the robots that were stolen from us? Perhaps a lost clone?" At the mention of a clone, Shadow's shoulders shivered as a look of disgust came to his face.

"I doubt it Doctor," Snively answered. "None of the stolen units were both small and fast enough to fit the description. And as to a clone…"

"Worthless lumps of genetic trash," Shadow spat venomously. "It'd never have been able to evade me." Once more Robotnik turned the dial, the intensity of the chaotic energy increased, and the tortured rat's spine bent upwards as he tried desperately to pull himself free. Skin under burnt fur began to crack as the liquid flesh underneath tried to expand beyond its capacity, causing the Mobian to howl in pain. His task completed, Robotnik steepled his fingers before his face as he gazed intently at his two compatriots.

"Then, my friends, I believe we have a problem," he proclaimed. "Without the Topaz Star Chaos Emerald and a way to control it, we do not possess enough chaos emeralds to fulfill my Master Plan."

"Gerald's Master Plan," Shadow corrected, an action that earned him a fairly annoyed look from the devilish scientist.

"Your loyalty to your creator is indeed impressive, Shadow, but don't forget, Great Grandfather died because HIS Master Plan was severely flawed. Mine is not, but for it to succeed we need to force three emeralds to flare their powers at the exact same time," Robotnik countered. "Since that all important fact is my contribution to this little fiasco, I think I can safely lay claim to this being MY MASTER PLAN!" So saying two fingers grabbed the console's dial and twisted it all the way to full power. From the table the rat screamed as black smoke rose from his body for a few seconds before the intensity of the cyan light became so great as to obscure the view of his body. It remained as this for a few moments, and both Shadow and Snively could see the Emerald Cascade beginning to strain under the massive amounts of power being channeled through it. Before the machine could suffer any true damage, Robotnik quickly reset the dial, shutting the Cascade down. As the light died, all that was left of the rat was a black smudge following the imprint on which his body had lain. "Such a disappointment," Robotnik concluded before turning back to his underlings. "Gentlemen, this failure would seem to illustrate that that fox is, quite literally, one in a great million. Finding him was a miracle we most likely will not be able to repeat, at least not without duplicating the same extensive search we did before. So it is with great zeal that I do beseech you… GET OUT THERE AND FIND MY EMERALD!"

_

* * *

The forest stood as it had for centuries, its lush foliage obscuring the light of the sun that fed it so as to create a form of perpetual twilight for the area underneath its massive canopy. All through the out the forest, life could be heard, whether in the form of a tweeting bird singing for a mate or the babbling of a pristine brook as it passed through the dense trees, the memory of a once mighty river that had fed this wood before being encroached upon by it. Herbivores fed on the plant life, and they in turn became prey for carnivores, while scavengers worked tirelessly to return everything to its beginning and continue the cycles of life. Above it all, a large bird flew through the air, its giant, brown wings keeping it aloft in the air only the need for an occasional flap._

_ Suddenly, as the sky begins to inexplicably darken, the majestic being begins to struggle in the air, as though the sky through which it had previously so proudly flown had lost the ability to sustain its flight. As it began to fall, the unmistakable sound of hacking could be heard as the bird struggled to breathe, its yellow beak open wide as it tried to draw in the air that rushed past it. This did little to help it though, as the air began to take on a foul quality while the bird rushed down, indicated as the wispy clouds that had once decorated the sky suddenly become dark gray before they dissipate as though never there. With a sickening thud the once mighty aerial lord crashes through the canopy of the trees and to the ground, an impact that kills it almost instantly. Above it's corpse, the once green leaves of the trees begin to quickly change their color, first to yellow, then to brown, and finally black, before falling form their branches en masse. The healthy brown bark of the stripped branches hastily turns to a dark gray as the phloem cells that once carried nutrients to them begin to whither and die. With an alarming rate, this blight spreads down into the ancient trees, transforming once thick and strong trunks into brittle dried up husks._

_ It is not only the plants that begin to suffer, however, as a young carnivore, attempting to take advantage of the fresh carcass of the fallen avian, stops in its approach and begins to hack and cough, its four legs collapsing beneath it as it falls the once fertile ground. All around it dozens of formerly tree dwelling rodents fall from their desiccated homes in a similar, or worse, state, gasping and writhing in agony as though asphyxiating. The ground, once rich with nutrients and soft, dries and becomes hard and brittle, with rocks that have remained in place for millennia crumbling to dust in mere moments. All around the once lush and lively forest dies in every sense of the word, with trees shattering under their own weight and animals collapsing into convulsing heaps trying desperately to cling to life. The clear water of the once gentle brook now flows dark with an unidentifiable sludge._

_ This scene of death is not unique to this hapless forest as all over the planet, more and more ecosystems suffer the same fate. Once damp and lush swamps dry and whither while harsh winds rip the fragile topsoil from the deserts. The oceans begin to grow dark and murky as they become littered with the bodies of dead marine life, unable to survive in the water that has been stripped of its ability to sustain life. Once active and warm volcanoes go dim and cold as the magma that fuels them goes out. All around the wind blows harshly, creating gigantic dust storms that tear the flesh of the planet's few remaining animals as they try desperately to escape their planet's death throes. A small tribe of bipedal sapients once destined to become the dominant life of this unlucky world huddle together, trying to protect themselves from the darkness that seems to be pervading the atmosphere. Females hug their children close as males brandish crude weapons in a valiant but futile attempt to ward off their unseen killer. Around a fire, the last fire, the older members of the tribe sit, their hands locked together as they chant a prayer with their medicine man, a supplication to their gods to protect them. If such creatures existed, they either weren't listening, or they'd decided against their followers. As the dark shadow passes over them, each man, woman, and child begins to cough and sputter, grasping at their throats as they gasped for breath in the growing darkness._

_ Deep below the surface of the planet, in the center, the light gradually dims as the molten core begins to cool rapidly, the very furnace keeping the dying planet warm going out. The effects of this are felt almost immediately on the surface as the putrefied but still liquid waters of the oceans begin to freeze over and the ground goes cold. In a valley on the other side of the planet from the first forest to die, a single hoofed herbivore, the last of its kind, the last living being on its planet, runs in terror as death approaches it. It does not get far however, as a newly opened crack in the proves enough to catch one of its small feet, tripping the poor creature up and sending it sprawling to the ground with a broken leg. Terrified eyes look back at the path it had taken, a terrified baying escaping its lips just as darkness encroaches upon its form._

To be continued…


	5. Day Out With the Guardian

Power Enriched by the Heart

by Asher Tye

Disclaimer: Sega owns Sonic and crew, and that includes Robotnik and Shadow. I'm not sure who owns the other characters, whether it be Archie, DiC, or whoever did Sonic Underground, but I know it's not me so whichever one owns them I give full props to.

Author's Note: Long chapter this time, with a lot of ground to cover, so I suggest you pace yourselves. And for those of you chomping at the bit for some serious Knuckles action, here he is in all his crimson glory. As a side note, I'm thinking of making more illustrations for this story, primarily depicting Mighty and the members of the Chaotix Crime Family (Charmy, Espio, and Boss Vector). I'm wondering how interested anyone would be in seeing that. Anyway, read and review, that's the only way I'll get better.

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Chapter 4: Day Out With the Guardian

* * *

"By the power of the mighty Thromnombular, I command you to awaken!" cried a voice that dared to intrude of Sonic's peaceful dreams. As it did so, a long feather suddenly made its presence known and began to tickle the cobalt hedgehog's black nose. One pass, two. On the third pass, Sonic's nose began to twitch uncontrollably. A blue hand swatted at the annoying item, only to have it return a second later.

"Myah, nyah!" Sonic grunted.

"Thromnombular commands you awaken, the time for sleep is through, now is the time for wakies!"

"If I open my eyes and find out 'Thromnombular' is a certain green hedgehog I'm going to beat him to death and hurl his carcass out the window," the still sleepy Sonic threatened.

"Most uncool, bro, most uncool. Why ya always gotta resort ta threats of violence?" Manic countered in a disappointed voice. Groggily the larger blue hedgehog opened his eyes and pushed himself up into a sitting position, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"It's eight o'clock in the morning," Sonic observed, casting a malicious glare at his smiling youngest sibling. "Why am I awake at eight o'clock in the morning?"

"Duh," came a new voice as Sonia walked out of the bathroom, running a brush through her pink head quills, "we're going to the mall today. It's our big family outing, remember?" In truth Sonic did, but he'd actually planned on making the trip later in the afternoon. Apparently his brother and sister had other plans. When his feet suddenly struck a soft lump however, all grumpiness faded from his face as he remembered he hadn't slept alone the previous night. At his feet, still curled up into a furry ball and covered by the same gray cloak as before, Miles slept, apparently unaffected by the ruckus being raised around him.

"Kid's a deep sleeper, ain't he?" Manic asked, watching as Sonic's gaze traveled to the orange body. Rather than respond, Sonic suddenly surged forward, a worried expression on his face as he began to shake the little fox.

"Kid… kid… wake up," he called. Eyes the color of the sky snapped open as the fox gazed at the hedgehog that had awoken him, a confused expression on his face as Sonic's own look of worry quickly faded.

"What's… What's wrong?" Miles asked. Manic shrugged his shoulders while Sonia merely looked at her brother as though he'd lost his mind.

"Uh… We gotta check your bandages," Sonic answered. "Make sure your shoulder hasn't been infected." This answer seemed to satisfy all three children, even though it was not the real reason for the elder Mobian's concern.

_'Was it just my imagination or… was he not breathing when he was asleep?'_ This thought was quickly banished from the hedgehog's mind. Of course he was seeing things, how could this fox have stopped breathing one moment and then been awake and active the next. Even as he made this rationalization, Sonic couldn't help but feel a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. Suddenly he was aware of eyes staring expectantly at him.

"What?" he asked the trio as they looked at him.

"Well, aren't you going to take him into the bathroom and check his wound?" Sonia asked, braving her brother's odd behavior. Realizing that such an action would indeed be a wise choice given his previous statement, Sonic nodded, swung his legs off the couch, and got up. At the other end the kit slowly uncurled himself, disentangling his orange body from his only article of clothing as he did so, and stood as well. Fox followed hedgehog into the apartment's bathroom as Sonia moved to prepare breakfast, an action that was accompanied by Manic pointing out they could save time by simply having breakfast in the food court. This point was countered by Sonia pointing out that pizza and burgers were not suitable breakfast food. Sonic's pointy ears automatically filtered out the two voices as one of the siblings' typical fights began.

"Okay kid, let me see that shoulder," Sonic commanded as the kit pulled back the part of the cloak covering his injury and allowed the blue Mobian to look. The bandages were still mostly white, though somewhat discolored now due to use, an oddity as Sonic had expected the wound to have released a little more of the fox's blood. Carefully he unwrapped the shoulder, his movements slowed as he noticed the vulpine suddenly wince a little. Underneath the hedgehog could see the stitches Amy had placed to close the wound, a wound that was significantly smaller than Sonic remembered. Even more surprising was the fact that, instead of a thin layer of fuzz covering the recently shaved area, the fur almost seemed to be coming back in waves, causing the bare patch to shrink. While Sonic was not so foolish to believe he was an expert on medicine, years of caring for two younger siblings had given him something of a crash course on first aid with respect to damage caused to the body. He knew a hole in flesh caused by a bullet was not supposed to heal this quickly, not naturally anyway.

_'Could he have been used for medical research?'_ Sonic asked himself as he finished removing the soiled bandages. Before he could put on the fresh ones, however, a noxious aroma came to his nose… and it was coming from the fox that stood before him.

"Phew! Kid what did you roll in and when did it die?" the hedgehog asked as he gripped his nose with one hand while trying to wave away the awful scent with another.

"What?" Miles asked quizzically, as though he himself was immune to the noxious odor that was emanating from his fur.

"When was the last time you had a bath?" Sonic asked again, hoping this line of questioning didn't confuse the kit.

"Oh," he responded. "Well I guess the last time was when I was in that underground river."

"Underground river?" the hedgehog asked doubtfully. "What underground river?"

"The one under the city." At the cub's words Sonic's eyes suddenly took on a comically horrified expression. "When I escaped from the lab, I fell into a river. I used a tree that fell in with me to stay above water, but I fell asleep and when I woke up, I was floating in a river underneath the city."

"You were in the sewers…" Sonic stated rather than asked in a deadpan voice, wondering why he hadn't smelled this before and how much disinfectant he'd have to clean his couch with now. In response the two tailed fox simply shrugged. "Okay kid that settles it. You're not gettin' ta come with us until you get a bath." So saying the blue hedgehog walked over to the bathtub and turned on the water.

"I'm… I'm coming with you?" Miles asked, clearly unsure of what to make of this declaration. As steamy water began to fill the room, Sonic looked back at his houseguest with a smile.

"Course. What'dya think, we were just gonna leave you here all by yourself while we had fun?" That was, in fact, exactly what Miles had thought would happen, and thus the little vulpine had been quite prepared to spend the day sitting on the comfy couch and staring off into space. During those precious times he was not subjected to the seemingly endless number of tests and trials at the lab, he'd learned to simply accept it when all he could do was sit and stare at a wall. As the hedgehogs had begun talking about their plans for the day, it had never even crossed the young C2's mind that he would be invited to come along. "But first things first," Sonic continued as he suddenly stripped off the gray cloak from the fox's shoulders. "MANIC, SONIA!" As if by magic the summoned hedgehogs appeared.

"What's up Sonic, we ready to go yet?" the green one asked.

"Not quite Manny, we gotta get Miles here ready too," Sonic admitted. Immediately Manic let out a long suffering groan as his plans for the day were stalled. "Come on Manic we can't just leave him here, and he's not exactly in the best condition to go incognito to a mall." As Sonic spoke he began to look over the fox's now naked body, causing the little kitsune to cover himself with his arms and tails self-consciously, somewhat embarrassed that he'd apparently looked shabbier than he'd realized compared to his hosts. "Okay, Sonia, see if you can wash this in the laundry room downstairs," Sonic said as he handed the soiled gray cloak to his sister.

"My rock!" a distressed Miles cried as he grabbed a hold of the cloak and carefully undid the yellow colored stone that served as the clasp for the garment. Sonic eyed the small stone which appeared to be a topaz about the size of the little kit's fist. He watched as the gem seemed to illuminate all on its own, not merely sparkling from the light cast on it by the fixtures, but glowing of its own accord. As Sonic gazed into the gem, kept from being transparent solely thanks to the yellow coloring, his eyes widened as he began to see things. Stars, planets, comets, moons, and the empty void of space filled his mind as he looked into the jewel's surface; the promise of endless possibilities and unbridled freedom, of dreams fulfilled and wishes granted.

"Yoah, Sonic, come back to us," Manic said, snapping his fingers in the face of his bigger brother as he did so. "Earth to Sonic, come in Sonic, we miss you here at mission control."

"What?" Sonic asked as he broke out of his staring contest with Miles's rock.

"You kinda zoned out there for a minute," Manic explained, confusion on his face. "You were freakin' the kid and me out." Sonic turned back and noticed Miles also looking quite confused.

_'What WAS that?'_ Sonic asked as he remembered the images that had danced through his head.

"So what do you want me to do? Let's get this kid ready so we can go already," the spirit of impatience said, tapping his foot on the ground expectantly.

"Sorry," Sonic apologized. "Okay Manic, you go root around in your clothes drawer, see if you can't find something that'll fit our little friend."

"Ah, why my stuff?"

"'Cause I'm too big and I don't think he'd appreciate wearing one of Sonia's dresses," Sonic explained in the "long-suffering" voice his own mother had used whenever she'd had to contend with her eldest son's whining. With a curt "Fine," Manic walked back into his bedroom and Sonic turned his attention back to his task, shutting off the water as the bath was finally filled. "Okay, time to get in." Carefully Miles looked at the water of the tub, his eyes widening as he realized how much deeper the tub seemed when it was full of water. Slowly he dipped a single furry finger into the water, testing it to make sure it was neither too hot nor too cold.

"Are you sure it's alright? Maybe I should wait for it to cool down a little bit," Miles suggested.

"It's fine!" yelled Manic from the other room, obviously listening in and in no mood for further delays.

"Manic, we're not going anywhere 'til the kid's cloak is done," Sonic reminded the green hedgehog, receiving an irritated growling sound in response. Shaking his head, Sonic turned to Miles and said, "And you still need a good scrub down, especially if you were really in the sewer before I found you." Quickly the speedy hedgehog grabbed the fox under his arms and lifted him into the tub. For a few minutes Miles began to huff as he adapted to the water's temperature, but he quickly became accustomed to the heat. "Okay, need any help washing?" Sonic asked as he produced a bar of soap.

"I can't reach my back," Miles admitted as he grabbed the pro-offered cleaning bar and began to work up lather in his hands. For his part, Sonic grabbed a nearby container and dipped it into the water, pouring it over the fox's body to dampen his orange fur before Miles began to scrub. Soon the formerly clear water took on a murky gray color as dirty soap fell from the wet fur, taking with it the dirt and grim that had covered the boy's skin for some time.

"Mmm, feels good," Miles commented as Sonic's hands moved over his back, hedgehog fingers feeling the bumps of his spine as he did so.

"Yeah, I guess I haven't lost the touch since I had to do this with Manic," Sonic quipped as he brought soapy hands up to clean the backs of Miles's pointed ears. "Hold still now, this may tickle and I don't wanna get soap in your eyes." Calmly the kit obeyed, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt soapy suds ooze down his face and onto his white muzzle. Even as his eyelids tried to seal themselves, he could feel some of the soapy water seeping into his sensitive eyes anyway, creating an unpleasant stinging sensation.

"Sonic…"

"I know, I know, hold your nose for a second, okay." Young Prower did as he was instructed and a new deluge of water washed down upon his soapy brow, flushing out his head fur and easing the stinging. Able to see again, Miles began to rub his chest, again summoning up a thick lather as he worked to clean himself. Behind him Sonic lifted one of his tails, formerly big and fluffy but now noticeably skinny and compact, and began to wash it too. It took quite a bit of time, and one draining and refilling of the tub, but eventually Sonic, with an experimental sniff over the fox's head, judged his subject to be cleaned, even if he did look something like a drowned rat. "Okay, stay in the tub," the blue Mobian commanded as he drained the bathtub again and pulled forth a dark green towel from under the sink. Thus equipped, he began the time consuming task of trying to dry the furry creature he'd just helped to wash.

Instinct soon took over within Miles and he quickly found himself leaning into the rubbing motion Sonic was using to dry his fur, especially as the hedgehog worked his ears. It had been years since anyone had actually used a gentle touch on him and he'd almost forgotten what it was like to be cared for, even if only because Sonic didn't want him dripping all over his apartment. Memories began to surface of himself, much younger in form, being fussed over in a similar fashion by a female fox who cooed soft placations to her squirming little boy. These pleasant visions, combined with the warm feeling of the wet towel, began to make the kit feel drowsy in a good way.

"Woah woah kid," Sonic cautioned as Miles began to tilt dangerously off balance, snapping the boy out of his revelry. "You need to sit down while we do this or something?" Suddenly Sonic noticed the wetness in the kit's eyes that had nothing to do with the water from the tub.

"I miss my Mom…" Miles whispered. Perhaps such happy memories were not a good thing, particularly if they left him feeling like this. Though he could picture such scenes in his mind, they were never clear, always fuzzy, as though photographs aged carelessly by time's relentless march. Miles knew the female fox to be his mother, but he could never see her face enough to remember her features clearly, never see the warm, loving smile he was sure she was favoring him with. The same went for his father, of whom the fox had the same difficulty seeing in his mind's eye. Suddenly a fresh dry towel wrapped around his now damp body, cocooning him as the blue hedgehog suddenly picked him up in his arms, cradling the fox's small body against his own.

"That's all right kid, you've got a right to," Sonic responded, nuzzling the kitsune's muzzle with his own. "If it helps I know how it feels. Sonia, Manic, and me lost our parents too." In truth their situations were only superficially similar. Young Miles had been kidnapped, taken from his parents and done who knew what to by whatever lab had decided he was valuable enough to ignore his own fundamental rights to do so. The Hedgehogs' parents had been killed before their eyes, caught in the same fire that had consumed their home so many years ago. In fact Sonic's last image of them was of his mother shoving him out the window of his second story bedroom and to the once lush lawn below, an act which had saved his life even as it had broken his arm.

Sonic's head shook from side to side as he banished the unhappy memory from his sight, locking it away in that same dark section of his mind it had escaped from.

"Manic, you found anything yet?" Sonic yelled, causing the child in his arms to wince a little at the noise, as he walked into the bedroom. Manic's butt stuck out of his closet as he burrowed through the pile of clothes sitting on its floor, trying to find something suitable amongst the discarded fabric of days past. Finally he pulled forth a pair of brown shorts that featured a multitude of pockets. It looked about a size too big for the cub in Sonic's arms, but a simple belt would fix that. Laying on the bed Sonic noticed the shirt that had been chosen as well, a white shirt with green sleeves, the number fourteen embroidered on the back and the words "Banjos 'R' #1" on the front. "Your old soccer jersey? We can't find anything more fashionable?" Manic turned to his elder brother with a look of annoyance on his face.

"It's not like I keep scores of my old baby things around you know," Manic complained as Sonic unwrapped the now dry Miles and set him on the bed next to the shirt. Walking up to the green hedgehog, Sonic took possession of the shorts, inspecting them to make sure they were still serviceable.

"Good job Manny," Sonic complimented his brother, walking over to Sonia's dresser and grabbing a pair of scissors. "Just one alteration to make," he said as he held the garment by its seat. Hedgehog tails were small and easily concealed. They could be hidden fairly easily inside a pair of pants if so desired, with little need for a tail hole to be cut for them. As the blue hedgehog glanced at the pants and then at their new owner, he couldn't help but think such a thing was simply not going to cut it for a fox, especially one who's rump was sporting not one, but two gigantic tails. Carefully Sonic cut a small hole in the seat of the pants and brought them over to the vulpine. "Okay kid, stick your feet in here," the hedgehog said, sliding each bare foot into its designated leg hole. "Up." Obediently Miles hopped off the bed, a little unsteady for the cloth now binding his ankles. Now vertical, he felt it as a hand grabbed one of his tails while another pulled up the shorts, carefully threading the furry appendage through its newly created hole and following it with its mate. Miles's own hands moved to clumsily work the button and zipper on the front, successfully latching the button after a few small tries.

"Okay dude, hold up your arms," Manic said as he brought the jersey over to his new friend and pulled it down.

"Mmph, mmph," the fox squeaked as his head was squeezed through the hole meant for it. Finally the shirt draped down over his torso, a small puff of his white chest fur popping obstinately out of the neckline. The two hedgehogs stepped back to examine their work. Miles still looked messy and his head fur was a damp mess, but he looked much more presentable than when he'd first arrived. For his part Miles felt a little odd wearing the outfit. In his muddled memory he could remember having worn similar garments before, but that had been some time ago. While a prisoner of the lab he'd been held at, the scientist responsible for him had not deemed it necessary to provide him with any sort of clothing given his illegitimate status. The fact that his cell had been climate controlled had given the idea of actually giving him something to wear a lower priority. Thus had the vulpine gotten used to doing without, slowly even forgetting what it felt like not to be naked. Still as he looked himself over in his new attire, he had to admit they made him feel good, like he was less an escaped experiment and more a little boy going out to enjoy himself.

"Okay Manic, where are the shoes?" Sonic asked; only to receive a somewhat confused look from his baby brother.

"Shoes?"

"Yeah, the shoes. Kid's gotta have a pair of shoes, right?"

"I'm not sure if you're aware of this Sonic, but I'm not in the habit of hanging onto shoes that are too small for my feet," Manic admitted. "Unless you wanna try some of Sonia's…"

"Nah, she'd flay us alive if we did that," Sonic said, suddenly gathering up the fox cub in his arms and placing the boy carefully on his shoulders. "Oh well, guess we'll just have to collect some while we're out. That okay Miles?"

"Yes," the vulpine said, not wanting to appear ungrateful for his new gifts. Suddenly the front door opened and Sonia walked in, the folded up cloak in one hand, her nose in the other.

"I'm sorry guys, I tried everything I could think of," she began as she held the gray cloth at arm's length, "but whatever this thing rolled in is too strong to… hey!"

"Kid no!"

"Not after all our work!" Upon seeing the cloak that had been his only protection for so long, an excited Miles Prower had wiggled himself off of Sonic's shoulder and made a beeline for Sonia, snatching the garment as he did so. Before anyone could stop him, the fox cub had securely wrapped the gray fabric over his narrow shoulders and re-attached the topaz clasp to hold it in place. Seeing the once clean fox now festooned with what his sister had described as a still dingy scrap of cloth, Sonic could only slap his forehead in frustration, certain he would once again have to participate in the fairly time-consuming task of washing this pup. Mentally he made a note to have both Sonia and Manic toss the disgusting piece of fabric into the dumpster when they went to wash the cub's now soiled outfit.

For his part, Manic stomped his way up to the fox, more than a little put out at the fact that his "Day of Fun" was about to be further postponed. When he approached, however, something odd caught his eye… or rather his nose.

"What are you talking about Sonia?" the hedgehoglet asked, sniffing the air surrounding the surprisingly clean smelling vulpine. "It smells perfect."

"Of course it does," Miles stated, unsure what everyone seemed so worked up about. "You washed it, so it's clean. Washed things become clean." This last part the fox stated with the same unabashed certainty a mathematician would give to the idea that one plus two equaled the same thing as two plus one. Never one to completely trust her brother, but at the same time having no reason to distrust Miles, Sonia released her nose and took whiff.

"That's… bizarre," she finally said. "I swear when it came out of the dryer it smelled like… like it was decaying or something." Hearing both of his siblings' reports, Sonic himself approached and took a sniff of his own.

"Lemony," he commented before turning to his sister. "I don't know what you smelled down there, but it wasn't this. Maybe one of the dryers is dying?"

"I guess…"

"So does this mean we're ready?" Manic asked with an excited impatience, realizing what young Prower not reeking meant.

"Kinda anxious there, ain'tcha kiddo?" Sonic quipped as he patted the green head. "Okay, I think we're ready to go."

"Yes!" the two younger hedgehogs yelled, clapping their left hands together in a high-five. Quickly both scampered over to the door, leaving Miles and Sonic by themselves.

"Well kid, you ready?" Sonic asked as he extended a friendly hand towards the fox, a hand the boy took with only the slightest amount of hesitation. Smiling, Sonic moved to join his siblings as they left.

& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & '

Snively sat behind the large and ornate desk that was due his position at Cyberon, his teeth busily chewing on the end of a pencil that showed several signs of such treatment all over its yellow shaft. His other hand carelessly worked a mouse as his eyes watched his monitor which displayed several spreadsheets and graphs depicting the company's earnings versus its costs. Two sets of data showed Cyberon's legitimate concerns as well as its more clandestine operations. Payments to politicians, G.U.N. officials, and a few criminal organizations were displayed alongside those paid to contractors and suppliers for the little human to peruse as he worked to keep his great-great-great grandfather's company running smoothly. For a mind as fine as his own, balancing a bunch of numbers was ludicrously easy, but the nature of some of the less scrupulous dealings made him leery of trusting anyone else with the task. Though Dr. Robotnik was the one who controlled Cyberon, to the public at large Snively was the CEO and it would be he who took whatever punishment came should the truth of their activities become known. Thus it was that the diminutive human found it necessary to be one of those "in the know" as it were when it came to his company's assets.

As he stared at the screen, sharp eyes noted a flashing icon suddenly appear, plastering itself in the foreground over all other open documents in a manner that was clearly designed to make its presence known. Surprised, those same eyes widened as he clicked on the icon, the warning now being displayed upon his screen causing his black, little heart to skip a faint beat before he got it back under control.

_'Someone is accessing the government's civilian database,'_ he thought to himself. _'And they're looking for the file on Miles Prower.'_ On its own this was an interesting development. There were only a handful of people in the country, in the world, that could connect the name Miles Prower to the database… and not shrug the ludicrousness of the name off as some sort of bad word pun. Of course there was no fear of the file being found by so clumsy a method as asking. The nature of Cyberon's acquisition of the fox that had once borne that moniker had necessitated his file and records being removed from the public eye. Though there was no way to actually remove information once it was in Station Square's system, there were more than enough ways to make it inaccessible, particularly if you weren't sure it existed in the first place. Still, the simple fact that someone was asking this particular question meant someone had heard the name and gotten curious. Slowly Snively lifted the receiver from the black phone on his desk, his other hand going, not to the number pad of the phone, but to a small, black, nearly imperceptible button on its side. Immediately the phone began to ring.

"Snively, is there a reason you have disturbed me?" came a gravelly voice that could only belong to Dr. Robotnik as he picked up the other end of the line.

"We have a bit of a problem, I'm afraid," Snively reported. "Our watchdog program has alerted me to someone attempting to locate the citizen file on one Miles Prower…" The small man waited for a moment, wondering if the name would sound familiar to his uncle.

"Have they now? That means C2 has made contact with someone…"

"The snooper program has traced the source of the inquiry to a personal computer identified as being in the service of the Kintobor Clinic," continued Snively. "Apparently one of those nasty little doctor's offices that services the Mobian population. It is likely whoever is now in possession of our fox took him there for medical attention."

"Dr. Ovi Kintobor's clinic you say?" Robotnik spoke in wonder.

"Indeed sir. Should I send some agents over to… extract our little target should he still be there?"

"No," the Doctor said flatly, a statement that caught his long nosed nephew by surprise. "Send someone to find out what they can, of course, but restrict them to a light touch."

"Sir?" Snively asked quizzically. This was not like his normally nasty uncle, particularly if he was so close to his goals.

"Under no circumstances allow Dr. Kintobor to know we have an interest in his clinic, understood?" Robotnik commanded; a hint of trepidation in his voice that only further served to puzzle his nephew. He had never known Dr. Robotnik to step so gingerly around anyone; those that might have necessitated such caution were most often removed from the field before they could cause any problems. Who was this Ovi Kintobor that he could make Dr Robotnik unwilling to confront him?

"I will see to it sir," Snively assured his master as he hung up the phone and began accessing the civilian databank himself, curiosity overwhelming his other senses. Thanks to Cyberon's close government contacts and own military clearance, Snively had little to no fear of being stopped by any of the firewalls placed around the files found there. Short fingers expertly began typing into the keyboard, pulling up the desired record with an accompanying picture. The small human's eyes widened at what he saw.

Standing over a blue background, Ovi Kintobor seemed to possess several of the same physical characteristics as his own "beloved" uncle, except they seemed far more complimentary upon the good doctor. A massive red moustache erupted from the man's lips, extending all the way so that the tips were parallel to his shoulders. Whereas Robotnik's moustache was frayed at the edges, Kintobor's was neatly trimmed and cared for. And whereas Robotnik was almost maliciously overweight to the point where he simply waddled around on short stumps he called his legs, Kintobor held his own impressive paunch in an almost regal manner atop two long and spindly legs. The most noticeable thing about the medical doctor, however, was that his left arm was missing all the way up to the shoulder. Silently Snively wondered what could have happened to rob this gentleman of his appendage. Even as he did so, he couldn't help but wonder what it was about this man that made his Uncle want to sidestep him so carefully, even at potentially losing track of C2 again.

"This may bare looking into," Snively mused.

9& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & '

"Yahoo!" Manic squealed as he raced into the mall's toy store at top speed, or at least top speed for him.

"Make sure you stay in my sight, Manic!" Sonic called after his green brother as he broke away from the group. "And that means that I can see you, not just that you can see me!"

"Don't worry, Sonic, I'll keep an eye on him," Sonia said with her most "mature" voice as she strolled "adultly" into the store after her little brother. Sonic smiled as he watched the pink figure of his sister give chase. Suddenly, a short tugging of his hand came to his notice as he looked down to see Miles wiggling excitedly in the presence of the toy store. The young fox had been thoroughly enjoying the trip to the Central City Mega-Mall with his new friends, and it was only getting more and more fun as he stared at the gigantic, brightly decorated store filled with all sorts of fun looking items. For about the eighth time since he'd got them, the cub looked down at his no longer bare feet, now clad in a pair of red and blue sneakers that looked similar to Sonic's own red and white pair. It had taken them a little more than an hour to find a pair he'd liked, but as far as the fox was concerned, it had been worth it.

And now they found themselves outside this wonderful place the trio had referred to as a toy store. Young Prower could only barely contain himself as he thought about entering this wonderful place, his own sense of self preservation and the fear of what might happen if he left Sonic's side the only things keeping him from mimicking Manic's own actions.

"You ready to go in bud?" Sonic asked of the fox.

"Yes," Miles bluntly stated. Inside Sonic soon located his own siblings, Manic busy yanking action figures from their places on their pegs while Sonia watched with a look on her face that suggested mortification at the prospect of being linked to the boy.

"Hey Sonic, get a load of these!" Manic called to his older brother, waving a pair of small robotic figures in the air. "It's the latest Super-Turbo-Robo-Geek minis." Immediately Sonic closed his eyes and began to empathize with his sister. Had he been that much of a fanboy for the toys of his own youth? The sudden loss of pressure on his right hand caused him to look once more as Miles raced over to the brightly colored plastic figures, his eyes wide as he let Manic begin to explain to him all the subtle nuances of the line. There was great waving of the hands and excitement in the voice as the green hedgehog began to talk about the jewel of the collection; the red MEGA Super-Turbo-Robo-Geek, a two foot tall plastic monstrosity that came with weapons, electronics and a working telescope in the head, as well as a hefty price tag of sixty dollars.

As the hedgehog lectured the fox on the virtues of being a Robo-Geek fan, Sonic cast his eyes around for the display for said mega toy, the true reason they'd come to this particular toy store. He had heard there was going to be a raffle contest, a special promotion in celebration of the new season of the Robo-Geeks' television show, what Sonic privately referred to as their thirty-minute long commercial. First prize was a free collection of all the toys in the line, while the six second prize winners each got a Mega Robo-Geek, reason enough for Sonic to enter his own name. With Manic's birthday coming soon, the hedgehog needed a present and, much as he would have wanted to get his kid brother the toy of his dreams, this was the only way that was gonna happen, particularly if he couldn't meet up with Mighty soon for his promised pay.

Meanwhile Miles, having listened dutifully to Manic as he'd explained the "subtle" differences between each of the different colored Robo-Geeks, had become bored. While he could understand the green hedgehog's love for the toys, they were simply not his cup of tea, save for the Hyper-Go-Super-Jet carrier the toyline featured. Thus had the kit's attention wandered over to a display of toy airplanes, taking his body along for the ride. Too engrossed in his own ideas of fun, Manic failed to notice it as he lost his audience, though fortunately Sonia had enough presence of mind to keep an eye on both of the younger children. Silently the two tailed fox picked up a plastic version of an F-14 Tomcat, a wild grin on his face as he looked at the sleek toy plane. Gripping the toy's underside between the thumb, index, and middle fingers of his right hand, the kit began to spin, the sound of jet engine's roaring escaping his mouth as he made the plane perform barrel rolls and loop-de-loops in his hands.

"Blam, blam, blam," cried another voice as a second Tomcat joined Miles's own in the "air," this one held up by the furless hand of a young human boy as he aimed his plane at the fox's. "Enemy aircraft spotted… preparing to engage," the brunette boy called as he directed his Tomcat in close. For his part, Miles simply looked at the human with wary eyes, unsure what to make of this turn of events. Just a little bit puzzled as to the smaller Mobian's perplexing behavior, the boy nevertheless encouraged him forward, halting his "attack" as he did so. Tentatively Miles began to take evasive action, maneuvering his plane out of the way of the human's "guns." Thus began a game of aerial tag as the two children chased after each other, trying to "shoot" down the other's plane.

"Cody!" a woman yelled, grabbing the boy's plane toting arm at the wrist and making him drop the toy. "What have I told you about playing with… beasts?" his mother asked in an indignant voice.

"Is there a problem here?" Sonia asked, knowing trouble when it showed up in high-heels.

"Yes there is," the woman began, yanking her son away from the kit. "In the future, I think it would be much appreciated if you kept this flea-bitten mongrel away from respectable shoppers."

"Uh, he doesn't have fleas," Sonia pointed out. "And may I point out your son is the one who approached him." At this the woman seemed aghast.

"How dare you imply that my Cody would freely associate with… with…"

"A fox?" Sonic supplied as he approached, having caught the gist of the conversation his sister was participating in, and understanding there was little way the pink hedgehog could win it.

"Are you the keeper of this… this zoo?" the woman asked imperiously.

"Yep, sure am," Sonic countered back. "And I'm afraid it's closing time so I'm gonna need you to just mosey along, or pay the ten dollar overtime fee." As he spoke, the blue hedgehog waved his hands dismissively towards the female, who immediately huffed in consternation. Grabbing her son, the woman stalked off angrily.

"Is that what you call keeping a low profile?" came a voice Sonic instantly recognized as Amy's. Turning around, Sonic suddenly found himself confronted by a somewhat perturbed looking female hedgehog with pink quills who was not his little sister. Gone was Amy's nurse's uniform, replaced by a red skirt and sleeveless blouse with a pink heart on its chest and white trim. In her hair sat Amy's trademark hair clip, an ornate little piece of gold sporting a large amethyst jewel in a brilliant cut and a fairly fat eagle feather, an old family heirloom the young female was quite fond of that had been given to her by her beloved grandmother, called the Warrior's Feather. The rose-colored jewel sparkled gently as it bathed in the bright lights of the toy store, filling Sonic with a serene feeling of peace as he gazed into its multi-faceted surface. "Sonic, are you listening to me?"

"Don't worry Ames, its not like anyone was really paying attention to us," Sonic consoled as Manic finally appeared, curious as to what was going on.

"And if she noticed our little friend's odd addition?" Amy asked, referring to the extra tail growing out of the butt of the cub who was the focus of the current discussion. "I'm not too thrilled about the idea of people who shouldn't be learning he's here simply because of some blabbermouth gossiping."

"It'd take something more impressive than a second tail to get these shopping zombies to notice anything over their own lives," Sonic countered, a smile on his face. "Maybe if he had a second head…" A the hedgehog's words, Miles suddenly looked to his left and to his right, as if making sure no such extra appendage was growing from his neck. "So, what'd you find out?"

"Actually, that's something I wanted to talk to you about," Amy said. "Is there any chance we could talk about this someplace people are less likely to overhear us?"

"Ames, what are the chances one of these mall zombies is gonna pay any attention to us over what they're buying?" the blue hedgehog asked, not wanting to leave the store before the drawing. As Sonic asked this question though, Amy looked at him with a somewhat perturbed expression on her face that told him all she thought about his statement. "Okay, okay, just put away the glare," Sonic responded as he held up his hands in surrender before turning to the younger members of his group. "Hey guys, who's up for lunch?"

"Me," Sonia and Manic called as Miles nodded his head appreciatively. With this consensus the group then headed for the Food Court. Once more they were greeted by a mob scene as all around families moved to gather, consume, and discard their chosen foodstuffs. Fortunately four hedgehogs possessing an array of what looked like pointy sharp quills provided an excellent excuse to give the group a healthy zone of comfort that kept them from feeling crowded around. Quickly Sonic found a table for them to sit at.

"Sonia," Sonic said, pulling forth his wallet and removing a twenty and a ten before handing both bills to his sister, "Take Manic and Miles and get some grub, 'kay?" The pink hedgehog took the proffered bill and saluted her elder brother as she took both the younger children by the hand and led them away. Once they were alone, Sonic turned towards Amy. "Okay, what's up?"

"Well I logged onto the citizen registry and tried to search for 'Miles Prower…'"

"What'd you find?"

"Nothing," Amy said. "Not a trace, not a sign, not a clue. No match whatsoever."

"So you think maybe he lied?"

"That's the odd thing. If you were going to lie about your name, you'd pick something that wouldn't sound so odd wouldn't you?" Amy asked, clearly intending it to be a rhetorical question. "I mean, if you knew someone was going to be checking up on you, you'd choose something like Smith, or Jones, or something difficult to disprove, at least that's what I thought. So I tried searching just for the name 'Prower' and guess what happened."

"You found him?" Sonic asked, his face brightening.

"No, but I did find a whole bunch of firewalls and clearance levels," Amy admitted. "Someone put a lot of security around that name, and they're not real interested in anyone finding anything out about it."

"About what?" asked a familiar voice that caused the two hedgehog's to look up just in time to see a red, yellow, and black armadillo walking towards them, Sonia and Manic in tow. Miles seemed to be keeping his distance, though he was still close enough for Sonic to see.

"Mighty," the blue hedgehog cried as he rose from his seat to shake his friend's hand, heedless of the distasteful look Amy had favored the armadillo with.

"Figured if I hung out around here long enough you'd show up," Mighty explained. "When you didn't show up in the police reports, I knew you'd made it out of there no problem."

"Oh how nice," Amy quipped. "And it saved you the trouble of making a phone call too."

"Hi Amy, lovely to see you again," the armadillo said in a cheerful voice, completely immune to the daggers he was receiving from Sonic's girlfriend. Sonia and Manic both set down trays of food and sat down next to Mighty, with Miles sticking close to Sonic. It was at this point that the armadillo noted the fox's presence. "Sonic, you realize you got an extra rugrat hanging around you?" Sonic turned and gripped his new charge's wrist lightly, drawing him out from behind his chair and into view.

"Yeah this is… Tails," Sonic explained, causing the three other hedgehog's eyes to go wide. Mighty looked at the fox with a cocked eyebrow, clearly curious as to how Sonic had gotten a new kid in his entourage. "We're taking care of him for a while, till his parents get back. So why'd you wanna find me?"

"Oh right," Mighty responded as his focus was momentarily removed from the fox. "I wanted to thank you for saving our butts last night… AND give you this." So saying, Mighty reached into his shirt pocket and pulled forth an envelope, handing it to his blue friend. "Payment for services rendered. You can count it, it's all there."

"'T's all right Might, I trust ya." The armadillo gave the hedgehog a knowing smirk.

"Humor me, I've been waiting all morning," he insisted. Somewhat put off by his best friend's odd behavior, Sonic nevertheless obliged, opening the envelope. Hedgehog eyes widened as he counted up the money inside before quickly pressing it to his chest, somewhat afraid someone had seen inside as well.

"Might this is three times what you guys promised," the hedgehog whispered. "I don't know what Vector expects but…"

"Relax," the armadillo assured his friend. "We told Boss Vector what you did last night… Big risk takers get big rewards."

"And big lumps on their heads if they do anything so stupid again," Amy added, fully directing that comment towards her beau, even as her gaze remained on Mighty.

"Besides, I bet three grand's a lot more helpful than just one," Mighty pointed out. Thus did the armadillo pull up a chair and sit down at the table with them. "So what were you two talking about before I interrupted." Both hedgehogs looked at each other, trying to come up with a story to tell. Though Sonic trusted his friend, the fact was Mighty was a criminal, and if 'Tails' as Sonic had so dubbed him turned out to be valuable, there was no guarantee Mighty, or more likely Vector through him, wouldn't try to make a quick profit.

"We were just talking about our plans for tomorrow," Sonic said.

"Yes, I was telling Sonic that a position was opening at Dr. Kintobor's clinic and we were making plans for him to go for an interview," Amy said in a hushed whisper that was nevertheless perfectly understood by all the Mobians at her table, save one.

"Why are you being so quiet about it?" Tails asked as he munched a slice of pizza.

"They're trying to cut down on the competition dude," Manic answered, giving the younger cub a sharp look that told him not to talk about it. It was quite true. Dr. Kintobor was well known amongst Mobians, and not simply in Central City. With a reputation for actually championing Mobian rights, the kindly old man was quite beloved. And as he actually backed up his beliefs by hiring Mobians to work at his clinics, there was always a lot of competition for what were considered the best jobs in the city, so Amy had a right to be quiet, especially when she was lying through her teeth.

"Dr. Kintobor's huh? Well good luck with that Sonic," Mighty said, only a mild sense of disappointment in his voice. Though he begrudged his friend nothing, particularly when it came to getting his life in order, the armadillo knew if Sonic won this job, there was little chance of him ever accepting the open invitation to join Chaotix.

"Yes, Dr. Kintobor wants him to come bright and early tomorrow morning for an interview. It's just a grunt job, but it pays better than that cruddy music store he's at now and it's going to offer a lot more hours."

"Cool," the armadillo admitted. "Hey, I hope you don't mind but I haven't eaten all day and it's been something of a problem waiting here for you four… five I guess. Mind if I run off and grab some grub for a moment?"

"Please, take your time. And if you happen to get lost, don't worry, we know you can take care of yourself," Amy said cheekily. Taking this as an "okay," Mighty left.

"Okay, what's going on?" Sonic asked his girlfriend.

"I don't like him at all. One day he's gonna get you killed and then I'm gonna need to kill him," Amy explained, unashamed of her rather harsh condemnation of Sonic's oldest friend. "I really wish you'd stop associating with him. Nevermind that he's a criminal; he's got a poisonous attitude."

"So you've said," Sonic conceded in the dispassionate voice of one who has heard the same rhetoric numerous times. "But I was actually asking about the whole Kintobor thing. You and I both know he's got no openings."

"Oh," Amy exclaimed, blushing a bit at her misunderstanding of her blue beau. "Well, when I was busy checking the registry for Mi…"

"Tails," the fox suddenly corrected, causing the hedgehog quartet he had found himself a part of to look at him in confusion.

"What?"

"You… you called me Tails when that… armadillo asked who I was," he explained. "I liked it. Can… Can I be called Tails?" Sonic cast a glance at his siblings, wondering what their take on this turn of events was, as well as Amy's. Hadn't she been suspicious of such an odd name as Miles Prower? And now the kit in question wanted to be called something else too. It didn't exactly support his story.

"Certainly," Amy said. "I think it's a good idea, don't you Sonic." As she looked at the other adult hedgehog at the table, she gave him a look. The kit had done nothing directly to cause them to distrust him, and it wasn't like there were a lot of children who would be happy with a name like Miles Prower.

"Not a prob, big guy," Sonic said with a smile. Immediately the newly rechristened Tails smiled and shook his body back and forth, inadvertently getting both his tails and his cloak flicking back and forth in an interesting version of a wag.

"So anyway, I was looking for TAILS on the registry and Dr. Kintobor walked in on me. He asked what was going on and I…"

"Amy," Sonic said, his eyes getting wide. "You didn't tell him."

"I had to Sonic, it didn't feel right to lie to the man. And besides, it's Dr. Kintobor. If you can't trust him, who can you trust?"

"Not the point Ames. I don't like the idea of involvin' the doc in somethin' that we don't know about." From the look on the pink hedgehog's face, it was clear she had not thought about this either. With a sigh Sonic continued. "Can't take back the past. If you told Kintobor, we'll just have to work with it. Who knows, maybe he can find something we can't.

"That's what it looks like," said Amy. "He wants to see Mi… er, Tails first thing tomorrow morning."

"Fine, I'll get the kid to the clinic Amy, but do me a favor and don't tell anyone, ANYONE else about this, okay?"

"Not a problem Sonic, you can count on me," Amy responded, just in time for Mighty to walk up with his tray of food.

9& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & '

As he walked through this strange and titanic structure the dwellers of Central City called a mall, Knuckles had come to a personal realization about himself. The red echidna positively detested crowds, especially the shopping kind. The young warrior had been jostled and jabbed no less than twenty times since he'd entered looking for his quarry, and he hadn't received so much as a "beg your pardon" for it. Bad enough that he'd had to leave behind his weapons in order to avoid any sort of suspicion, but his normally hot temper was quickly being frayed by this rough and disrespectful treatment.

_'Ti-Kal help me keep my cool,'_ the echidna thought as a baby chose that moment to let loose with a loud wail right in his ears. Muttering something about never having to tolerate this behavior from ECHIDNA puggles, Knuckles moved away towards an empty bench to sit down. He wasn't tired, but walking through a noisy, ever-shifting crowd was very much counter-productive to the concentration he needed to have to track his prey. Crossing his legs, he closed his eyes and concentrated.

"Chaos is power, power enriched by the heart," he began to chant in a low voice, though several passersby managed to hear him and cast him a strange look. "Through the one I connect to all… Ruby Blaze, help me find the Topaz Star…" Underneath the poncho he wore, a red light began to glow softly as the chaos emerald he possessed began to answer his wish. His senses expanded beyond the immediate world as his mind traveled the psychic waves of chaos searching for his prey. In such a thick group of living beings, it was difficult to home in on one particularly flare, almost impossible. The other side of this was that if there weren't this great a concentration of people around, Knuckles would not be forced to rely on his connection to the Ch

aos Force to track down the missing emerald. And, though it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, there would be no denying where the yellow chaos emerald was once he found it by this method.

The tethers of his mind to his body were loosened as his spirit swiftly fanned out over the crowd; ignoring the dull, colorless energy of normal beings as he looked for the one that would be touched by Chaos and thus so much more brilliant. Though he was vulnerable like this, the echidna was fairly confident his body could survive any attack that came his way until he returned to defend it, and so he was free to roam far and wide through the mall. Though he personally found this place detestable, he was impressed at the sheer number of people present.

_'The Topaz Star has done a phenomenal job in finding a hiding place for itself,' _he thought. Though in his physical form it would have taken him hours of searching to cover the entire mall, in this form, capable of actually tasting the various energies that abounded through the mall, it was child's play for him to cover the massive area in merest moments. Thus it was that he found himself drawn to what the mall's patrons appropriately termed the Food Court by a massive concentration of energy. His astral eyes widened as he felt the incredible power being exerted, a power that could only mean one thing. Back at the echidna's body, gray eyes snapped open as beads of sweat suddenly appeared on his brow.

"There are two emeralds here!" he said in a shocked voice. Like a bullet he was off, shoving his way roughly through the crowd as he moved in the direction of the two powers, a feeling of desperation in his chest. Aside from the Topaz Star, the only other chaos emerald the elders had known to exist in this city was the Gray Dusk Chaos Emerald, and if its avatar was currently in the vicinity, it was no doubt searching for its brother. Fear welled up in the echidna's chest as he felt his large hands sliding subconsciously into the massive battle gloves clipped to the sides of his belt, his chest muscles clenching. Even with the Ruby Blaze Chaos Emerald enhancing his own abilities to the zenith of echidna potential, he would still be the weakest of the three if it came to blows between the Topaz Star and Cyberon's pet hedgehog. And if Shadow was able to recapture the fox, Robotnik would have all he needed to find the location of the Master Emerald.

_'Don't try to psyche yourself out Knuckles; the tribe, the whole world is counting on you,'_ he thought as he continued his charge through the crowd, glad that he'd had the foresight to tie his hat around his neck so he didn't lose it. Finally he made it to the Food Court and quickly jumped up onto one of the trash receptacles to survey the area. A horrible feeling came to his gut as he felt the place out, the swelling of power now a ghost of its former self. Not a sign of orange or black fur showed itself to the echidna's eyes, and Knuckles swore under his breath. The fact that the Food Court was still standing and in relative calmness indicated the emeralds had not battled, that Shadow had not recaptured Robotnik's prize. But once more Knuckles was presented with the problem of finding the brat…

_'Nothing like a good challenge,'_ he thought as he tried to find a place to once more sit and focus. Suddenly a whiff of a familiar scent came to his nostrils. Fox fur. It had been cleaned to within an inch of its life, but it was definitely the same fox fur he'd found at the grocer's. His sense of smell worked overtime as he tried to sift through each and every conflicting odor that surrounded him, no small task given the great multitude of people and things present. Finally he found the trail he was looking for.

"You're mine now Topaz!" he growled as he once more took off through the crowd.

9& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & '

If the toy store had been crowded before, it was pure bumper to bumper now as Sonic and his entourage entered. Apparently word of the impending raffle had gotten out and parents were now swarming the place with their kids in the hopes of winning the ever elusive grand prize. His pockets now flush with cash, Sonic was no longer overly worried about giving Manic a proper birthday this year, but every little bit would help.

_'And I'll officially be labeled 'World's Greatest Bro' if I can get him every toy in the set in one shot,'_ Sonic smugly thought. Inside his pocket he fingered the raffle ticket he'd purchased, wondering if maybe it wouldn't be a good idea to hedge his bets and buy a few more tickets with his wealth. He was just about to make up his mind when he felt a slight tug at his sleeve. Tails stood next to him, a curious look on his face as he stared up at Sonic.

"What are you thinking about?" the fox asked, his glance casting over to the giant raffle box they stood before.

"Somethin' special's about to happen kid," Sonic explained, hefting the small fox into his arms. Tails was very light for his size, a fact that surprised the hedgehog given how much food the kit had packed away at lunch. Turning back towards the box, Sonic gestured to the Robo-Geek display. "See, they're gonna give away all that stuff..."

"Really?" Tails asked with a wide-eyed look on his face. "Can I have it?"

"No-no-no," the cobalt hedgehog said with a laugh. "They're only giving it away to the people who win the drawing with those tickets. Haven't you ever been to a raffle-off before?" The fox kit shook his head. "Well, people buy these tickets with numbers on them," Sonic explained, withdrawing his own purchased ticket from his jacket pocket. "Then a ticket is drawn at random from this box. And if the numbers match up, you win all this stuff. I'm trying to win it for Manic's birthday."

"Such a nice plan," came a female voice as a young woman smiled at the two Mobians from across the ticket sales counter. "Of course you stand a better chance of winning if you have more tickets." Given that the money being collected for the tickets was going to charity, another part of the promotion for the television show, this woman could be forgiven for making the sales pitch. Hadn't Sonic been planning to buy some additional tickets with his new windfall?

"Sounds like a good plan," Sonic said, shifting his young friend's body in his arms to reach for his wallet for a twenty. "I'll take five more tickets." And so Sonic choose four more numbers himself before turning his head to Tails. "Hey kiddo, how about you pick me out one?"

"Me?"

"Sure, bet it might help to have someone else's luck pulling for Manic to win too," the hedgehog said.

"Couldn't really hurt, the cute ones are always lucky," the woman added, ruffling the kit's head fur with a smile. Faced with such encouragement, Tails leaned over from his perch in Sonic's arms and looked at the tickets, trying to figure out which was the most likely to get pulled. After about a minute of studying, the fox lowered a clawed finger down and tapped his choice. No one noticed it as the yellow jewel sitting in his cloak's clasp suddenly flashed.

Across the toy store where she watched Manic amuse himself on the free demos of the video games, Amy felt a strange tingling on her head. Not unpleasant, but definitely there, she reached up to touch the spot only to find her hair pin sitting quite comfortably in her hair. Thus she did not notice it as the rose colored jewel set in the gold flashed for a few precious seconds.

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As he moved through the mall, hot on the trail of his target's scent, Knuckles felt an odd vibrating sensation under his poncho. Pulling the tough fabric aside he hefted forth the Ruby Blaze emerald. A wish had been made, one that had been heard by a chaos emerald and caused a warp in reality. If the second emerald was indeed the Gray Dusk, there would have been some form of evidence to the effect. From everything he knew about Shadow, the dark creature was not the type to make any sort of change in reality that could go unnoticed. That left the Topaz Star as the most likely culprit.

As long as it had remained hidden, dormant, the Topaz Star had been hidden from its pursuers' senses. Whatever the fox had done to keep Knuckles in the dark as to his location, the overt use of the emerald's powers had ripped that veil away, at least for the time being. Forgetting about the scent he'd currently been following, the echidna charged, no longer concerned with keeping a low profile as he roughly began to shove people out of his way.

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"What?" Shadow suddenly asked as his eyes snapped open. The black hedgehog had been leaning against a wall in his "master's" office, his poise relaxed even as his senses remained razor sharp.

"What is it?" Snively asked as he looked up from the paperwork he'd been working on. Cyberon was after all a company and the diminutive human had a responsibility to keep it running smoothly.

"I felt something," Shadow replied, "a change in reality itself."

"An emerald?"

"C2 is using his powers," Shadow nodded. "Unfortunately it wasn't long enough for me to pinpoint his location at this distance." At his "minion's" words, Snively's face took on an annoyed look. What was the good of having a living Chaos Emerald at his disposal if said creature couldn't track down a stupid kit?

"So what do we do now?"

"I'm going for a walk, get some fresh air to clear my head."

"You don't need air."

"Fancy that," was all the hedgehog construct said as he turned to leave.

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"Ladies and gentlemen," the store manager said as he stood upon the large stage that had been constructed for his benefit, the raffle box sitting next to him. All around the store his voice echoed thanks to the megaphone he held in his hands. "It is now time to the moment you've all been waiting for… our Grand Prize Super-Turbo-Robo-Geek DRAWING!" Cheers resounded, particularly from the children who couldn't get enough mention of their favorite toy series. "And here to perform the drawing is the one, the ONLY… RED-TURBO-ROBO-GEEK!" On cue a tall, muscular looking human dressed entirely in red spandex and a plastic helmet and mask that covered his entire face entered the store dramatically, a gun resting at his hip and a sword decorated in gears and lights strapped to his back. Waving congenially to the children, the actor took off, running at top speed towards the stage. Rather than make his ascent using the stairs provided, the leader of the Robo-Geeks made a mighty leap and performed two flips before he landed perfectly on the stage, much to the great enjoyment of the assembled fans.

"Greetings Junior Robo-Geeks!" he yelled, his mask obviously wired to work with the store's P.A. system to make himself heard. "I've taken a short break from helping my team to save the universe from the evil Baron Dredd and his vicious Sbug army to be here today to help kick off the start of the new season of our adventures!" Again more cheering.

"You'd think saving the universe would have a bit more priority over a merchandising opportunity," Sonic whispered back to Mighty and Amy, both of whom snickered at the blue hedgehog's comment. Manic, who had overheard this and did not appreciate hearing his heroes slandered, responded less jovially with a slap to his elder brother's hip and a look that told him to kindly "shut-up." Of course this display of juvenile rage only served to elicit more snickering from Mighty and Amy.

"But before we get on to the drawing, where one lucky Junior Robo-Geek will be given all the equipment necessary to fight the invading Sbugs in his or her own neighborhood, I want to hear the Turbo-Robo-Geek's battle cry from all our loyal Juniors!" So saying, the red "warrior" struck a pose before yelling. "Just say…"

"…NO to Sbugs!" the children cried.

"Just say…"

"…NO to Sbugs!"

"Just say…"

"…NO to Sbugs!"

"Just say…"

"…YES TO SBUGS!" roared a voice that, with the aid of the PA system, managed to drown out the cheers of those children who hadn't been startled by the sudden, gruff proclamation. All heads turned towards the source of the disturbance, a door to the store's backroom where what looked like a horrifying abomination stood. Black feathery wings erupted from a yellow and black insect frame with four hard looking arms and two large legs, each equipped with talons to rend. The face was decidedly insectoid, but it had mandibles and nasty looking eyes. Two feather-like antennae jutted from the head as the creature roared, pointing towards the Red Robo-Geek. "Baron Dredd has ordered this display destroyed…" he howled, then pointed to the collected audience. "…and once I've destroyed the Red Turbo-Robo-Geek, you will all be my prisoners!"

"Boo!" called the children, some of whom had to be restrained by their guardians to prevent them from rushing what was clearly an actor in a foam rubber suit and attacking him with their toys. With strength born of his insect heritage, or more precisely the wires that had been attached to his body, the Sbug leapt forward, sailing over the crowd to land gracefully on the stage with his hated enemy. The Store Manager gave an overly-dramatic shriek as he got out of the way of the monster.

"Don't worry," the red one proclaimed, "Mandilock thought the Baron would try to spoil this event. That's why he sent me here, and why I brought this…" So saying, the Red Robo-Geek drew his sword, a gaudy affair that immediately glowed with light as it was activated. "Gyro-Saber…"

"…ACTIVATE!" the children concluded for him. What followed was a choreographed battle that seemed almost like a dance as the Robo-Geek and the Sbug began to fight. The Sbug actor's suit must have been rigged with several squibs in it because each strike of the Gyro-Saber generated flashes of light and explosive sound upon his body. After a few minutes of their "fighting," a swipe from the Gyro-Saber managed to sever the bug-like creature's wings, and the once fearsome Sbug suddenly became a lot less fierce. Immediately the cowed creature backed away and tried to escape like the coward he was supposed to be. Before his opponent could leave, the Red Turbo-Robo-Geek drew the pistol from its holster and pulled the trigger five times. Five beams of red light shot out and struck the Sbug suit in five different places, causing five plumes of smoke and five flashes of light to explode forth. With a howl of pain that was almost as cheesy as Gouda, the Sbug flew backwards off the stage and onto his back. Scrambling to get to his feet, the creature beat a hasty retreat as his nemesis turned his back to him.

"And don't come back!" commanded the Red Robo-Geek, pointing his laser behind him and shooting the Sbug in the back without looking. If anyone noticed that the barrel of the pistol pointed nowhere near the target it hit, nobody seemed to care as the wounded Sbug let out a yowl in pain and exited the store. His duties done, the celebrity Robo-Geek turned back to the assembled crowd. "Now that we've taken out the garbage, I say it's time we began handing out some prizes." Again more cheers came, quite a few of them from adults tired of waiting for this little affair to end. The manager appeared on the stage and two employees carried up the box with the raffle tickets in it. The two employees shook the box rigorously, mixing around the paper tickets before their celebrity drawer stuck his hand in to select one.

"Everyone got their tickets?" Sonic asked of his group. Amy, Manic, Sonia, Tails, and even Mighty presented the orange tickets Sonic had given them to hold, the green hedgehog and fox especially giving enthusiastic replies. Manic was nobody's fool and had figured out why his elder brother had wanted to come to this store a second time today. This, combined with their temporal proximity to his own date of birth, had filled the youngster with glee over the prospect that he was going to get the grand prize, the entire line of his precious Turbo-Robo-Geek toys. When Sonic had presented not one but six tickets for the drawing, Manic had insisted everyone hold one, thereby maximizing the amount of luck being pressed in his favor for winning. Though he was very aware other children had more tickets than he did, the rebellious hedgehog was fairly certain no one else had SIX people pulling for them to win.

"Well friends, it's time to draw for our exclusive second prize, a brand new RED MEGA-TURBO-ROBO-GEEK ACTION FIGURE!" the crimson clad actor yelled as he held up one of the aforementioned toys. Immediately the children in the front rows reached and grabbed for it, hoping to at the very least touch the doll that would soon be the most sought after item in their young worlds. Handing off the toy to one of the assistants, the red Robo-Geek made an overly dramatic movement spinning his arms around in a circle before plunging his hand into the box and pulling forth a ticket. "And the first second prize winner is… 7190232!"

"YEAH!" squeeled a little raccoon boy as he sat on his father's shoulders, waving the called for ticket in his hand. Baleful glances were cast upon the lucky winner by several children nearby, generated more out of juvenile jealousy than out of any real malice.

"Come on up here son," the red Defender of the Universe beckoned. Obligingly the cub's parents brought him up to the stage and he moved quickly over to his TV idol. On the raccoon's shirt was a picture of the entire multi-colored Robo-Geek Squad striking fighting poses, but it was the decal on his blue cap that let everyone know which of the team's members was this Mobian's favorite in particular. As the gleeful cub looked around at the crowd staring at him, the celebrity host bent his knees and put an arm around the raccoon.

"Congratulations Junior Robo-Geek," the actor said, shaking the raccoon's shoulder. "May I ask your name?"

"Tim… Timmy Vaughn," the cub answered excitedly.

"Ah, Timmy, and what a fine looking defender you are," the television hero stated. "But I see from your hat that you're actually a fan of my friend and teammate, the BLUE Turbo-Robo-Geek."

"Well, he… he pilots that giant underwater submarine," Timmy answered, sounding as though he was trying to apologize for his choice in role-models, "and I like to swim so…" The red Robo-Geek held up his hand.

"I'll let you in on a little secret Timmy," the man leaned closer to the raccoon's furry ears, "sometimes I get a little jealous of him getting to ride around in that cool sub too." Timmy clapped his hands as he felt somewhat vindicated. "But I know there's a bigger reason you have for being here than just meeting me." Again the boy looked a little contrite and Sonic snorted. The kid was a natural. This couldn't have gone any better if it had been scripted. "That's all right Timmy, I know I'd cross the galaxy of Zartathos to get my very own," at this point a big box was placed in the Red Robo-Geek's hands, "MEGA-TURBO-ROBO-GEEK!" All at once every follicle of Timmy Vaughn's fur stood on end, his ringed tail became bushy, and his eyes danced in delight as the toy was placed reverently into his arms. Clutching his prize the young Mobian jumped up and down with joy as cameras flashed everywhere, catching his picture as they did so. As Sonic watched the hoopla being raised over this first of six prizes, he couldn't help but feel this was going to be a long day.

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As Knuckles had approached the store where he'd sensed the Topaz Star's energy, he'd been quite shocked to see what looked like a giant, feathered insect come scrambling out. Startled the echidna warrior had been quite prepared to do battle with this odd monster, unwilling to allow himself to be attacked so easily. When the foam rubber nature of the creature's skin became apparent to the young Guardian's eyes, his guard lowered back to its normal levels. Though not completely ignorant of the outside world's use of such fantasy costumes, with an emerald so near, and one that had been recently used no less, Knuckles was more than willing to believe such a creature could have suddenly been conjured into existence. As if he needed further proof, once it was clear of the store's windows, the "monster" took a quick seat upon one of the courtesy benches and pulled off its head, the human inside breathing heavily as he wiped his sweating brow.

Curious as to what could have necessitated this man's masquerade, Knuckles approached the packed store cautiously. Inside he could see a multitude of humans and Mobians, all standing before a large stage on which four more humans stood, one of which was wearing a ridiculous looking red jumpsuit and plastic looking helmet and mask. All through the crowd little ones cheered and wiggled, unable to stand still in their excitement. Knuckles released a grunt of disapproval, once more comparing the children of his own tribe to those of these outsiders. Echidna puggles would never have dared act so disorderly, especially at a gathering. Whatever advancements so-called "civilization" had made in the outside world, quite obviously it had not extended to teaching their children control.

_'And I have to go in there,'_ the warrior realized as he felt the phantom traces of the Topaz Star's outburst. Steeling up his courage, and his patience, Knuckles opened the door and entered.

"…number is 8204178!"

"YES!" cried a teenaged human boy as his hand pumped the air hard, the ticket in his hand. Nearby a few of the older shop patrons gave the young man the same look one would normally give to a deranged individual. Quickly the red-headed teen raced through the crowd and up to the stage. If the Red Turbo-Robo-Geek was surprised at the advanced age of the fan who had received the sixth and final second prize, he showed no sign, shaking the human's hand and offering up congratulations as he handed the teen his prize. Raising the box like a trophy, the sixth winner proudly declared the toy to be going straight into his collection, a fact that made an unfamiliar sense of pity well up in Knuckles as he watched. Once the young man had left the stage, the store manager appeared again, microphone in hand.

"Okay ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the moment you've all been waiting for; the First Prize Drawing for the ENTIRE line of TURBO-ROBO-GEEK TOYS!" The cheers that erupted around the echidna were painfully loud, so much so that he found himself clamping his hands over his diminutive ears. Supremely disinterested in which spoiled outsider child was going to receive what he could only guess was some sort of bonanza amongst their kind, Knuckles began to scan the crowd as the human on the stage in the red suit ushered the previous winner away. The Guardian's nose twitched as, from the myriad of smells coming to it, a singular scent was picked out and zeroed in on. Trying his best to drown out all the noise, the red warrior began to concentrate. Suddenly, a wave of power struck him, generating a rather big headache for the young tracker. The emerald's power was being used.

"And… the lucky first place winner is… 9223414!" The roar of the crowd was deafening, and immediately whatever concentration Knuckles had been able to acquire was gone.

"In the name of Ti-Kal, be quiet!" Knuckles grumped as he gripped his head and cast his eyes over the crowd, only to have them widen as he saw a trio of hedgehogs ascend to the stage. What caught his attention most was the small fox kit nearby, in particular the shining jewel set in the clasp that held his cloak to his shoulders. "The Topaz Star."

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Manic had screamed. He had stamped his foot. He had punched the air. In any other circumstance, this might have been taken to indicate the little green hedgehog was angry over something, but for today they were signs of the boy's eternal joy and cheer. As Tails read back the numbers printed on the raffle ticket he'd held, Manic almost could not believe what his ears were hearing. As had every other boy and girl present, he had hoped to win the grand prize, but his own experience with luck had likened this event's chances of occurring to that of the proverbial snowball so many talked about visiting a certain hot place. With a speed that might have put his elder brother to shame, Manic practically sprinted for the stage. Sighing lightly at his young ward's less than mature behavior, Sonic handed Tails over to Amy before following the green hedgehog up. As he did he noticed that the store manager was giving a somewhat puzzled expression to the ticket that had been drawn and casting sideways glances towards a human woman with a little boy that looked positively livid.

"Well, well, congratulations Mr…" the Red Turbo Robo-Geek said.

"Manic…. Manic Hedgehog," Manic almost squealed as he began to hop up and down in excitement.

"I can see that," the actor admitted jovially.

"It's not just a description, it's his name," Sonic corrected, fully understanding the good-natured joke made at his little brother's expense.

"Well Manic, it seems you're the lucky Grand Prize Winner of all this," the Robo-Geek said as he indicated the mountain of toys that sat behind him. Quickly the "action hero" grabbed the largest of the dolls, his own Mega-Turbo version, and handed it to Manic. "Consider this only the first part of your prize, my young friend, but rest assured it will not be the last." Once more cameras went off, capturing the moment for posterity. Manic was thoroughly enjoying himself as the center of attention, a huge smile on his face as he soaked up the applause. For his part, Sonic simply shook his head, partly out of embarrassment for the cheesy way his brother was acting and partly because it was the duty of a big brother to do so.

Suddenly a scream erupted from the mob attracting both hedgehogs' attention. From seemingly out of nowhere a red figure glided down into the crowd, red spines done in the shape of dreadlocks fanned out behind him as he descended rapidly. Mistaking this particular Mobian for a disgruntled store patron upset over not winning, Sonic moved to block for Manic, only to watch in surprise as the red creature's target was revealed to be, not the stage, but Amy. With the element of surprise, it was child's play for the ruby colored stranger to break his glide, swing his feet down, and catch the stunned she-hog in the chest before anyone could react. This tactic forced Amy to release the boy she currently held, sending Tails tumbling to the ground. Without even waiting, the creature scrambled forward towards the fox, grabbing the kit by his shirt and chest fur as his scramble turned into a charge.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" he roared as he slammed into the crowd members blocking his path, the combination of his strength and momentum easily sending the surprised patrons away as he made for the door.

Sonic leapt off the stage and raced towards the fallen Amy.

"Babe, you okay?" he asked with concern in his voice. Amy's head shook as she worked to clear the stars from her vision.

"I just got the wind knocked out of me, that's all," she admitted, a little ashamed at having been taken so unawares so easily.

"Sonic!" Manic yelled from his position still on stage. For the briefest of moments the blue hedgehog feared the red creature had returned for his own brother, but young Manic was instead frantically pointing towards the store's exit where the kidnapper moved, a pair of orange fox tails trailing behind him the only evidence he still had his prisoner. Two policemen assigned to security for the events of the day moved to block his progress. Wise enough to recognize guns to be more of a liability than an aid in this crowd, the men in blue instead drew a pair of nightsticks to encourage the interloper to relinquish his catch.

The first cop brought his stick down hard and strong, striking the mysterious Mobian squarely on the head. Much to the man's surprise, this had absolutely no effect on the kidnapper and instead the nightstick itself snapped in half. Though one arm was completely occupied holding onto his prize, the other was free to send a fist rocketing into the copper's gut, causing him to double over as the air was driven from his body. Before the man's partner could react, he too was disabled by a thick foot slamming into his knees and causing him to tumble to the ground. The last obstacle to his escape dispatched the red creature threw open the door to the store and left.

"Mighty, take care of Amy and the kids," Sonic asked of his oldest friend as he watched the stranger escape. "I gotta go have a little chat with someone about being polite in public." Sonic's feet were suddenly a blur as the blue hedgehog surged forward through an opening in the crowd, in hot pursuit of his girlfriend's attacker. Up on the stage, Manic watched as his elder brother took off. Setting down the large toy that was part of his prize, the green hedgehog began his own, albeit slower, sprint as he went to render what aid he could.

"Manic!" Mighty called as the green hedgehog took off, only to be ignored. Swearing lightly under his breath, the armadillo turned to Sonia. "Stay with Amy; I'm gonna make sure Manic doesn't get himself killed." So saying Mighty too took off.

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A part of Knuckles felt true remorse over his actions in the toy store; sucker punching that pink hedgehog like that went against his personal code of honor. Unfortunately, he had not seen anything else that could be done. Though he was confident that he could have bested everyone in there and taken the fox in honorable combat that simply would have drawn too much attention to him, something he had explicit orders to avoid.

_'Time for beating myself up later,'_ the echidna warrior thought. _'After I've completed this… mission.'_ As he ran Knuckles cast a glance down at his captive, the strange two-tailed fox that was currently trying to wiggle his way out of the echidna's iron grip.

Quickly making it to the banister that prevented mall patrons from walking off the fourth level floor and into the ether, Knuckles leapt up onto the metal railing before taking a flying leap into the air. As he did so, he let go of the terrified fox. Both hands free, the echidna managed to grab hold of the rope that was coiled at his back under his poncho and, utilizing his aerial agility, deftly spun the rope around his young target. Terrified at suddenly finding himself in a free fall with no way to escape, the fox kit could offer no resistance as the rope wound around his chest, waist, and legs, effectively binding his limbs together so he could no longer use them to escape. Grabbing hold of the fox's bonds, Knuckles once more spread his dreadlocks to slow his descent, landing on the mall's second level, much to the stunned surprise of the patrons passing by.

Feeling he had time to spare now, Knuckles cast a glance back up towards his point of origin, catching sight of the same blue hedgehog who had been holding the fox earlier staring directly at him. Favoring the cobalt Paraechinus nudiventris with a smug smile, the echidna hefted the helpless fox under his arm and raced off again.

For his part, Sonic had made it to the railing just in time to watch his adversary make what he'd thought was a suicide move, only to watch in astonishment as Knuckles had secured his prey and then successfully landed not on the ground floor but on the second. Though confidant he could build up more than enough speed to match the same jump, that was simply time the hedgehog could not afford to waste, and so he began to move after Knuckles from the top floor, his eyes also alert for any chance he could take to get on the same level as the fleeing Mobian. To their credit, it did not take long for Mall Security to be mobilized in response to the kidnapping, and the red furred felon had to crash his way through several blocking humans as he progressed.

Unfortunately, the Guardian was proving extremely agile quarry, even without the use of one of his arms. Large sculptures, hanging signs, and simple outcroppings of the walkway all served to give Knuckles avenues of escape as he moved from one level to another and even changed directions, effectively throwing attempts to entrap him into disorganized chaos.

"Ah!" the echidna cried as he felt sharp teeth suddenly drive themselves into his arm. The boy he held had somehow managed to work his muzzle down to bite him. Angrily did Knuckles strike the kit's head, trying to force him to let go. Though he had little fear of Tails's attack succeeding in getting him released, he did not like the idea of the fox cub accidentally ripping out a part of his flesh. "Stop that you little brat!" he commanded as Tails released him. "Don't try that again or I'll break your teeth."

"Let me go!" the boy wailed, his furry body resuming its wiggling attempts to escape his captor. "When Sonic gets you…"

"Don't count on it kid, we left that blue hedgehog in the dust," Knuckles said as he resumed running. "You won't be seeing him again."

"Don't bet on it creep!" Sonic yelled as he attempted to deliver a flying kick to the echidna's head. Warrior reflexes and instincts honed by years of training were all that prevented Knuckles from receiving the brunt of Sonic's anger.

"Where did you come from?" Knuckles asked, surprised to be facing the same blue hedgehog from before.

"You may be slippery but no one's faster than me," Sonic said as he began to round on the warrior. "Now drop the kid and maybe the cops'll go easy on you Red."

"Sorry, he's too important to me," Knuckles said as he grabbed one of the metal benches the mall had placed out for its tired shoppers to rest. "But you can have this instead." With the same effort a lesser creature might have used to lob a small rock, Knuckles hurled the metallic object at Sonic like a rocket. Screams were heard as the hedgehog managed to avoid the projectile, allowing it to smash into the banister behind him and sail down to the first floor. Concern for others momentarily trumped the spiny sprinter's desire to save his new friend, and as he looked over the ruined ledge to see if anyone had been hurt, he suddenly found himself falling as Knuckles gave him a hard shove over.

"Never take your eyes off an enemy, hedgehog. Good advice for next time you face a foe." Once more Knuckles was off like a shot, racing through the mall as he tried to make it to the parking garage. It was in one of the crevasses of that noisy home of motor vehicles that the echidna warrior had hidden his weapons, and it was there he would need to return if he hoped to finish this distasteful task.

Finding the weapons though, would prove to be a difficult task as the cars Knuckles had used to mark their position were now gone, replaced by new cars he did not recognize. Precious moments were wasted as he searched each nook and cranny for his bow and arrows, all while Tails continued to struggle against his bonds. Though the young boy had little idea why this creature he had never seen before was after him, a part of him knew it was for no reason he'd like.

Finally Knuckles found his arrows, and the crystal tipped arrowheads they sported. With a grim look on his face, he set the young fox upright against the wall.

"Don't move so much and this won't hurt," he counseled as he used a second rope to secure the poor kit to the wall so he couldn't slink away.

"What… What are you doing?"

"The Topaz Star Chaos Emerald can't fall back into the hands of Cyberon," the warrior stated as he notched an arrow into his bow and took aim, pointing the green crystal tip at Tails's chest. The fox's eyes opened wide as he realized the intent of his captor.

"No please don't!" If the kit's pleas were heard, they fell on deaf ears, at least as far as Knuckles was concerned. Fortunately, another set of ears was present to take action.

Sonic slammed hard into Knuckles, knocking the echidna's aim off just as he let the arrow fly, making the sharp projectile narrowly miss its target.

"You again? How did you find me?"

"Dude you're kidnapping someone, not like you're inconspicuous, ya know. Now tell me why you're trying to perforate my little buddy."

"That's not information you need to know about, hedgehog," Knuckles responded. "You can't beat me and I'm not going to allow him to survive."

"Woah, harsh," Sonic called as he charged forward, only to be swatted away by the stronger echidna and sent crashing into a car's window shield.

"I have no quarrel with you, hedgehog, now stay out of my way."

"Not gonna happen dread-head," Sonic yelled as he charged forth from the wreckage. Knuckles prepared to swat Sonic away again, but was caught off guard as the hedgehog swerved around and attacked him from the side, his sharp quills only barely deflected by the superior quality of Knuckles's poncho. The echidna grunted as the force of the blow still managed to send him backwards and into a wall.

"I am getting annoyed," Knuckles stated angrily as his fist slammed into the ground. A large crack appeared in the cement as the floor was weakened, traveling directly into Sonic's path and effectively tripping the blue hedgehog up.

"Hey watch it, weirdo, you'll bring the whole place crashing down on our heads," Sonic yelled. Seeing that the hedgehog was off balance, Knuckles performed a charge of his own, aiming a fist at the blue one's head in an attempt to knock him out. Sonic moved quickly, sweeping his feet and trying to kick Knuckles's knees and legs out from under him. Though this tactic might have worked on any other Mobian, Sonic was quite stunned when, instead of buckling under his attack, the echidna's knees stayed strong and erect, holding him up above the hedgehog as he gave a yelp of pain. His feet felt like they'd struck a tree for all the good his kick had done.

Knuckles looked down at his foe, the only obstacle between the completion of his mission and himself. Rearing back one of his legs, the red warrior delivered a mighty kick to Sonic's chest, causing the spiny blue creature to skid for a few feet before coming to a stop.

"Stay out of my way," Knuckles commanded as he turned his back to the hedgehog. "You'll only get hurt if you don't." Once more Knuckles began to approach the still bound Tails, determination in his eyes as he gazed at the terrified fox. Suddenly the echidna fell forward as he was struck from behind by a tackling Sonic who used his agility to flip over the fallen warrior and once more interpose himself between Tails and his assailant.

"I told you before Red, leave the kid alone," Sonic commanded valiantly. Knuckles was getting very frustrated and for a few minutes feared he would lose his temper if he was not careful. The heavy weights hanging from the sides of his belt reminded him that he could easily put a permanent end to this hedgehog's interference but, though this was tempting, he didn't want to use it until he had no other option remaining to him. Much as Sonic was annoying him, Knuckles couldn't fault him for trying to protect the boy. If Knuckles didn't like the particulars of his mission, he knew it would seem despicably heartless to anyone else.

_'Would I behave differently were the situation reversed? Nevertheless, this HAS to end.'_ Under his poncho, his hand moved to the Ruby Blaze Chaos Emerald. Though still a harsh method to divest himself of the problem of the kit's defender, and dangerous if Cyberon was watching, it was a far less permanent solution than his battle gloves. Quickly pulling out the emerald, he pointed it at the somewhat surprised Sonic.

"You had your chance," Knuckles warned.

"What the…?"

"Chaos is POWER!" The red colored gem pulsed at Knuckles's words.

"AHHH!" Sonic screamed as he fell to one knee and grabbed his head, pain exploding throughout his body. Behind the hedgehog Tails too let out a scream as the yellow gem in the clasp of his cape pulsed as well. The fox's eyes went blank for a few minutes as he watched Sonic complete his descent to the ground, his blue body quivering in pain. The hedgehog tried to get up, but it was as though every neuron in his body was screaming in agony.

"I warned you," Knuckles spat as he put away his emerald and began to approach Tails again.

"Nooo," Sonic moaned as he continued to try to move to stop the echidna.

"You put up a good fight," Knuckles said. "You shouldn't feel ashamed, I'm just better than you."

"BONZAI!" Manic screamed as he leapt from the roof of a car towards the echidna's exposed backside, the brand new Gyro-Saber he had just won slamming down as hard as it could into the red Mobian's skull. To be fair, though the Robo-Geeks were something of a corny show, their toys were not the cheap pieces of junk one expected. Built with the expectation that they would be rough housed with, and the fact that parents would not be overly willing to buy replacements no matter how cheap they were, the toy weapons were made of hard plastic, quite capable of resisting being broken on rocky pavement, or even on each other. Thus Manic could be forgiven for trying to defend his brother with what was basically a plastic toy.

Still, though the hard plastic "blade" of the toy was designed to strike upon rocks and trees without taking too much damage, the hard surface of the head of an echidna proved too much for it as the Gyro-Saber snapped in half. As he landed on the ground, Manic's already large eyes went wide as he watched the splintered half of his "sword" fall to the ground. Knuckles, already tired of wasting so much time on what should have been a simple enough mission for him, spun on his heel, preparing to deliver a powerful punch to the area he thought to be occupied by his new attacker's stomach. As Manic saw the fist coming, swinging straight for his face, he closed his eyes in fright. Fortunately for the green hedgehog, the echidna's eyes did not close, and what would have most assuredly been a lethal punch for Manic stopped mere centimeters from the boy's face.

"Stupid little brat!" an irate Knuckles yelled, just a little distressed over the mistake he'd nearly made. Quickly he grabbed Manic's shoulders and threw the hedgehog, slamming him into his blue brother hard enough to make sure he would not try something so foolish again. "Now then, back to the business at hand." The echidna warrior picked up his bow and arrows and prepared to do what he had to do, only to stop as a hubcap flew past him, barely missing his head and embedding itself in the concrete wall. Knuckles looked over to see a red, black, and yellow armadillo glaring at him.

"Let's see," Mighty began, stripping off his jacket to reveal the muscle shirt underneath, and the rather bulging musculature underneath. "You beat up on my best friend, and you picked on helpless kids. If you were human, buddy, I'd say you've pushed all my 'BAD' buttons." So saying the armadillo began to crack his knuckles, creating an audible sound the echidna couldn't help but hear. Quickly Knuckles once more discarded his bow and arrows, raising his fist as Mighty charged in with a fierce punch. Pain arced through the echidna's arm as he blocked the armadillo's attack, much to his surprise. Echidnas were tough creatures, and the tribe's Guardian was the strongest of all, able to withstand any attack, no matter how strong.

Many years ago, when he had been nothing more than a simple puggle, an instructor in his tribe, irritated at young Knuckles's constant interruption of his lessons towards a group of initiates, had clocked the young echidna squarely in the jaw. The strike had hurt so much Knuckles had been forced to subsist on soft, easily chewed foods for a whole month. As the pain raced through his arm, the Guardian couldn't help but be drawn back to memories of that day.

_'I don't have any choice,'_ the echidna realized as he switched tactics and began to avoid Mighty's blows over trying to block them. Quickly his hands disappeared beneath his poncho as he tried to put on his battle gloves, only to reappear as he needed to use them to somersault out of the way of a flung car.

"You're not so tough when you aren't picking on people weaker than you, are ya?" Mighty crowed as he charged forward. Again Knuckles moved, hoping to escape long enough to pull forth his weapons. That was when his eyes cast upon Miles Prower's still form.

_'He's unconscious!'_ Knuckles thought angrily. Immediately all thoughts of slaying Mighty vanished from the echidna warrior's mind as he made a mad dash for his fallen bow and arrows. Sonic, the pain in his body subsiding somewhat, watched in shock as his red attacker ran straight for an opening in the parking garage, even going so far as to pass up Tails on the way. Knuckles leapt up and perched on the ledge that led to the outside.

"This is not over," the echidna stated before turning and jumping, his long red dreadlocks fanning out behind him as they caught the wind and allowed the mysterious stranger to glide away. Outside shouts of "Stop" and "You're under arrest" could be heard, but at this point capturing the would-be kidnapper was merely a pipe-dream. The danger now passed, Mighty moved over to the pile that was Sonic and Manic as the blue hedgehog slowly regained his feet.

"You okay Sonic?" Mighty asked with concern as he leant his own strength to the hedgehog.

"I thought I told you to stick with Amy and the kids," Sonic pointed out, even as the smile on his face conveyed his gladness over his friend's timely arrival.

"This one," the armadillo said, gesturing towards Manic as the green hedgehog looked at his broken sword, "decided he would play hero. I thought you'd prefer I kept him from biting off more than he could chew." Sonic shot Manic an annoyed expression, clearly not thrilled with the idea of an eleven-year-old being so careless, especially one under his protection. "So what happened, what did that guy want?"

"To perforate the kid," Sonic answered, gesturing towards the still unconscious fox. "I thought I had 'im on the ropes too, till he did something to me with that red rock of his."

"Red rock?" Mighty asked.

"Yeah. Don't know what he did, but it took down the kid too." His feet finally steady beneath him, Sonic placed a hand on Mighty's shoulder. "I need a favor Might."

"What's up?"

"I need you to take Tails back to my apartment, and keep him there until I get home."

"What?"

"I don't think it's a good idea to have his face plastered all over the news, 'specially if the red thing's still after him, or anyone else for that matter."

"What're you gonna do?" Mighty asked as he picked up Tails, carefully wrapping the fox like a bundle in his own cloak so as not to show off what he was carrying. He'd had to smuggle things enough to know what would and wouldn't draw attention, and an unconscious kid was definitely a draw.

"Simple, I'll lie my spiky butt off if anyone asks, say the red guy was after something else and got away or something like that. But first I need to collect Sonia and Amy." Mighty nodded in understanding as he turned to leave, a move Sonic matched, though his course quickly took him in a different direction.

* * *

To be Continued…


	6. Hedgehog Hunt

Power Enriched by the Heart

By Asher Tye

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog, past or present. If I did, I like to think the characters would get a bit better treatment. (and more exposure) This story, however, is mine, so I don't want to see anyone out there claiming otherwise, else I'll crawl through cyberspace and bop you on the fool head.

Author's Note: Long time no update, but here you go. Admittedly this is probably the weakest chapter storywise I've written for this, but that doesn't make it any less important. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this installment. Hopefully the next one will be ready soon.

* * *

Chapter 5: Hedgehog Hunt

_

* * *

The Squibbon army was mobilized, or at least what was left of it was mobilized. All around the city of Chord the soldiers stood, backed by their heavy weapons and protected by the fortifications they'd managed to create as the enemy had made their inexorable march towards the capital. All the soldiers, both new recruit and hardened veteran, stood in nervous anticipation, the tentacles surrounding their mouths twitching as they waited for the inevitable battle._

_ Never before had the Squibbons faced so powerful an opponent. In the race's entire, long history, they had never encountered anything like that which had, one by one, destroyed each and every one of their colony worlds, and even now laid terrible siege to their homeworld itself._

_ And the worst thing was, the Squibbons had no idea why they were being attacked, save that their enemy for some reason sought their complete annihilation. _

_ Beaky mouths clicked in anticipation. This was to be the final battle for the planet, and it was already lost. The invading aliens had already destroyed every other location on the planet the natives had tried to defend; not merely reducing the areas to rubble, but to dust and ash as they seemed to suck the very lifeforce of the planet. _

_ A cry was heard, causing the warriors to look up. A massive object dominated the skies above them; a gigantic black comet. That had been the first sign of the invader's approach. Squibbon scientists had detected the astronomical oddity about a month ago, at the outskirts of their space. An expedition had been planned to study it, but then reports had come in of strange, black and red creatures attacking the outer colonies, wiping out whole settlements in the space of an hour. The space fleet had been sent to investigate, but of those ships sent not a one returned. _

_ And as the comet sped closer, more colonies, whole developed worlds, began to disappear from communications _

_ A loud roar and the first of the attackers had arrived, massive behemoths of red and black. Guns raised, the soldiers tried to hold their ground, blasting at the creatures. But against such physical might there was nothing they could but fall back and allow the heavy weapons to do their jobs. Thunderous explosions heralded the cannons' fire as they attacked. The monsters were mighty, but they could be felled under such an assault, and quite a few began to topple forward, their legs destroyed by the powerful weapons. Under such intense pressure to defend themselves; Squibbon military technology had advanced a great deal. _

_ And still as each of the giant monsters fell, they disgorged hundreds of smaller monsters which began to swarm the battlefield. Now it was time for the individual soldiers to do their job as they rushed to engage. Though their enemies possessed no weapons, they were far from unable to return the Squibbons' fire. Balls of energy flew from their arms, crashing down into the soldiers' ranks and causing small amounts of chaos. _

_ But the Squibbon army would not break that easily. Calls were made, orders to return fire, to stand ground given. Guns of all shapes and sizes discharged their fire into the bodies of the dark creatures and, though it took more bullets and laser blasts to fell one of the aliens than ever it would have a Squibbon, fall they did. _

_ Up above the battlefield, the invaders' flying forces, not actually machines, but flying creatures of the same black and red coloration as the ground troops, engaged the Squibbons' own lower atmosphere defenses. Planes crashed to the ground, but not without several of the fliers going down as well. _

_ A siren was heard that caused all of the combatant Squibbons to look back to the city they'd been defending. Inside Chord, several of the tall buildings in the center of the city began to collapse, falling away with a thunderous crash, leaving behind a single tall tower. From the defenders a resounding cheer rose as they watched their plan work. _

_The defense of Chord had already been deemed a hopeless cause. Even if they could have somehow repelled the invaders, the fact remained that far too much of the planet had been rendered uninhabitable. And so the decision had been reached to leave._

_A massive ship had been built, capable of transporting the remaining citizenry as far away as possible, and hopefully out of the reach of the black scourge that was destroying them. _

_And now it was happening, and the Squibbon soldiers redoubled their efforts to keep the invaders at bay. Even if they would not survive the conquest and ruination of their homeworld, their families would have a chance._

_As the rocket rose slowly into the air, more ships joined it, fighters whose pilots were now charged with protecting the escape ship should anyone try to stop it. And try they did. Like a swarm of bees the black and red fliers attacked, grabbing hold of the metal structure of the rocket as their powerful fangs and claws tore at the metal. The fighters blasted at the creatures, knocking them away as the ship reached greater and greater speeds. Below the fighting intensified as the last hope of the Squibbon civilization made its escape, the defenders willing to give their all in this final hour._

_And then it happened. A green light began to form on the surface of the comet, attracting the attention of all. Horror filled the Squibbons' tentacled faces as an emerald beam of energy shot forth to strike the escape ship, freezing it in its ascent. Plates of metal, screws, and rubber began to slowly strip from the vessel as it seemed to be disassembled in mid-air. The once mighty space ark was stripped clean, its pieces falling back to the planet's surface, along with those who had been aboard._

_As this unfolded before the eyes of the defenders, wails of despair rose from their throats. The image of tiny figures, too far away to see in any detail, falling from such a height to the ground burned into their jelly eyes, and it was in that moment their spirits were broken. The invaders were quick and merciless, overwhelming their victims like an ebony wave of death. From the comet dark tendrils descended to the surface, as they had so many times before everywhere else on the planet. As the last of the Squibbons lay dying, energy began to rise through the tendrils, feeding the dark comet. Just as quickly the black and red invaders began to collapse to the ground, their own life-force taken back by their master. Within moments the last of the planet's energy was taken, leaving behind a cold, dead world. The once gleaming city of Chord began to crumble to dust, just as all of its sister city before it had. _

_ Its task complete, the comet detached from the lifeless husk, slowly moving away. Before it, the very fabric of space began to ripple before a dark hole opened. A flare of energy propelled the comet forward, into the wormhole and onward on its dark journey. As it left, a tiny, egg-shaped ship revealed itself from behind one of the dead world's moons. For a brief moment the ship appeared to regard the darkened planet quietly, before rockets ignited and pushed it into the wormhole in pursuit of the black comet._

* * *

Snively dozed lazily in the overly large bed that rested in the bedroom of his expensive Cyberon-maintained penthouse apartment, one of the many perks the small man received as the president and CEO of the same corporation. Soft pillows held his almost bald head and long pointed nose, while a smile graced his face as he dreamed a particularly delightful dream, content to spend the entire night in blissful slumber. Unfortunately for him, someone else had different ideas.

"Snively!" Robotnik yelled as his blubbery face appeared on the video monitor that stood on Snively's nightstand. Like a scalded dog Snively jumped in his bed, awakening with fright at the sound of his sadistic Uncle's voice. The thick comforter fell to his lap as he managed to sit himself up in bed, a flop sweat already coming to his flesh, despite the chill in the air.

"What… what is it sir?" the younger Robotnik asked, unsure if the evil Doctor lacked the means to punish him even in his own home.

"Have you been watching the news?" Robotnik asked; his voice considerably calmer. Obviously the previous yell had been more to awaken his nephew than out of anger. Of course, if that was the case…

"No sir, I was asleep," he answered, before adding under his voice, "like any normal person would be at this time of night."

"What was that?"

"I, uh, asked if everything was all right."

"You be the judge. Turn on your television to channel twenty-four." Having no desire to let his Uncle see him in his boxers, Snively grabbed his robe from its nearby hook before moving into the living room. A steadfast believer that television did not belong in a bedroom, and a bachelor as well which helped him maintain that ideal, the big nosed executive still managed to own a rather impressive seventy-two inch flatscreen. Pushing the buttons on the remote, he summoned forth the channel Robotnik commanded, just as the video phone in the living room came to life to display the doctor's fearsome image. On the screen was a picture of a news anchor named Kendal Andrews, a man with a handsome face and a full head of blonde, helmet shaped hair, a fact that made Snively's eyes narrow in petty jealousy. Still he knew he needed to pay attention. Though Dr. Robotnik thrived on the misery of others, reminding his nephew of his own premature baldness was simply childish.

"And in local news today," the anchorman began, "the premier party for the hit children's show 'Turbo Robo-Geek: Hyper Defenders' was interrupted today by a mysterious assailant." Snively's eyes widened as a blurry video came on depicting a blurred red figure descending upon a crowd. "Unfortunately, this is the only known video of the incident, as all security cameras were mysteriously disabled by what appeared to be an electromagnetic pulse just previously. Police are baffled as to how such a feat could be accomplished so discreetly.

"Eye witnesses report that the attacker was a red Mobian of indeterminate species, though some eyewitnesses characterized him as a mutated hedgehog with long red spines. Though officials have stated that the suspect was attempting to rob one of the store's patrons, others have stated that what has been billed as an overly elaborate robbery was in fact an attempted kidnapping." At this point the camera switched to a teenaged human male with long brown hair and the wispy beginnings of a beard and moustache. His own hair having been naturally brown before it fell out; again Snively couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy over this boy's hairy appearance. "Sir, would you mind recounting what you saw?"

"No way was that red dude just a thief. He tackled that pink lady hedgehog and then grabbed the kid she had with her."

"A hedgehog pup?"

"Nah, nah, it was a fox. Bright orange fur and everything. But that wasn't the freakiest thing about it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… and don't think I'm crazy for saying this, but I could almost swear the thing had two tails."

"What!" Snively yelped as he moved closer to the TV, unintentionally blocking his Uncle's view. If Robotnik cared, he said nothing, which was as good as consent where the rotund one was concerned. From the look on the anchorman's face, it was clear that the newscaster was having trouble believing his interviewee's tale as well.

"You say he had… two tails?"

"No, I know it sounds weird, but that's the number of tails I saw moving out from under that cape-thing the kid was wearing."

"Two tails… and a cape?"

"Yeah. Maybe he was another mutant, you know, and the red guy was on some sort of recruitment drive to get him for a group or something?"

"I see." From the look on Kendal's face, it seemed all he could see was that this particular witness had smoked one too many funny cigarettes that day. For Snively and Robotnik however, the man's testimony was of vast import.

"Switch it off," Robotnik commanded. "We've no need to listen to any more 'analysis' of this situation from neophytes." Snively did as he was commanded.

"So it appears C2 was at the mall today… unless that man really was just seeing things."

"Not likely. He would not have been able to describe our little foxling to such perfection if he'd merely been under some chemical influence. What troubles me more was the red Mobian that tried to kidnap him."

"Sir?"

"It looked like an echidna…." Snively's eyes widened as Robtonik's hands steepled in front of his face.

"Another one?" the younger of the two asked. "But… why would they send another to oppose you. You killed the last one, that Knuckles fellow, and wasn't he supposed to be the strongest their tribe."

"According to my Great-Great-Great Grandfather's studies of them, 'Knuckles' is the title given to the tribal guardian. Obviously when I killed the last one, they simply appointed a new fellow to the position."

"Then he'll try to get revenge."

"No, not yet anyway. They've switched tactics, going after the weakest link in our plan; C2." Robotnik's eyes narrowed as a hand went to his bottom-most chin. "This is most distressing. If that wretched echidna finds my fox before I do…"

"Sir?" Snively asked as he noticed his Uncle casting him a stare that made the smaller human feel VERY uncomfortable.

"You suggested using the Mobians themselves to try to track C2 down a while ago, didn't you?"

"Yes sir, my idea was…"

"Don't bore me with the details," Robotnik said. "I'm placing you in charge of finding my little Topaz Star. Use whatever methods you deem fit, bribe whomever you have to, utilize whatever resources you must, but find him."

"And if my methods should draw… attention?"

"I shall deal with any fallout that may occur Snively, but make sure you are successful."

"And the echidna?"

"I'm going to place Shadow on that miserable anteater's trail, whatever power that fool may possess will surely pale in comparison to the Gray Dusk Chaos Emerald. But your task is clear my nephew; find my fox, return him to me, alive and without permanent injury. Understood?"

"Yes sir," Snively said, a sinister smile on his face as he envisioned just how many painful ways there were to obtain someone without causing "permanent" injury.

* * *

"Come on guys, let's get a move on," Sonic called back to the two children following in his wake, neither Manic nor Tails looking particularly pleased to be there. Not that Sonic himself was in a particularly good mood this day either.

When they had gotten home from the mall that evening, after Sonic had finished answering the police's questions as best as he could without giving too much away, he'd tried to explain to Manic just how foolish he'd been to get involved in Sonic's fight. That his younger brother's actions had resulted in Mighty's timely appearance to take up the fight when Sonic had fallen mattered little to the blue hedgehog, Manic had placed himself in most unnecessary danger, something the elder hedgehog had always strove to avoid. Manic had not been pleased at this dressing down, screaming and hollering about the unfairness of the lecture, stating over and over again that if it hadn't been for him, Sonic might easily have been dead and Tails would have lost his life as well. It had done him little good, Sonic had not been pleased at how reckless his younger brother had been and had not listened to Manic's version of reason.

Tails on the other hand, was upset for a different reason. Unconscious for most of the remainder of the day after he'd been hit by the red gem that echidna had been holding, the young fox had awoken to Amy and Sonic arguing; over him no less. Of course it took little intelligence to figure out why, especially since the events of the day had almost revolved around him. They'd been arguing over how best to go about questioning the kit as to why he was now apparently being chased by a rather tough Mobian sporting lethal jewelry. Sonic, more than a little upset that they had been attacked, and secretly feeling just a tad guilty over having been the one who introduced this threat to his family, had been the first to notice the fox's cerulean eyes opening. Before Amy could stop him, the hedgehog had pounced, with predictable results.

Faced with an angry hedgehog asking him questions he did not know the answers to and getting less and less understanding about it by the minute, poor Tails had cowered, tucking himself into a ball for protection. To his credit, the sight of the shivering, quivering fox kit before him caused Sonic to rethink his strategy, allowing Amy to be the one to ask further questions while he calmed down. The pink hedgehog had been just as unsuccessful trying to coax information from the vulpine, but her gentler voice did have the effect of getting him to calm down as well. Still, it was fairly tense in the apartment when Amy left and the others had gone to sleep. Tails had even opted not to sleep on the couch with Sonic, instead curling up in a lone corner as far away from anyone as he could, very much convinced he was no longer welcomed in this home anymore. That he'd awoken that morning with his head on a pillow and covered by a blanket that reeked of Sonic's scent did little to dissuade him that the reason he was being led about today was that Sonic intended to get rid of him.

"We're here," Sonic announced as they arrived at the doors to the Kintobor Clinic. The building stood three stories tall and had two basements beneath it, for a grand total of five levels all devoted to medical research and treatment for Mobians. Though nothing legally barred the more animalistic Mobians from using the same facilities as humans when they were injured or needed medical care, the less than friendly relations between the two species often prompted mistrust where such delicate matters were concerned. Dr. Kintobor's clinic, specializing in the furrier sapients of society, was a much preferred choice, particularly because its namesake tended to be so generous and forgiving when it came to Mobians who were caught in financial straights when it came to paying their bills.

Understanding that children were not overly fond of doctors, Sonic made sure to catch hold of Tails's hand; just in case the easily spooked kit decided to make a run for it. This had the unintended side-effect of simply reinforcing the young boy's assumption as to what was going on.

_&I guess he's decided not to help me after all,&_ Tails thought to himself as he drew the hood of his cloak up over his head. The act helped him to hide his face from the general public while simultaneously giving him something to do to distract himself from the tears he was trying to choke back. He'd been so close to finding his home, his family, and now, thanks to that stupid red Mobian that had screwed everything up, Sonic was going to dump him somewhere.

"Hello guys," came a chipper voice as Amy waved to them from behind the receptionist's desk. As always when she was at work, her nurse's uniform was immaculate, not a single wrinkle, not a single stain on the white material. The pink hedgehog eyed her blue beau and his entourage, taking full note of the presence of Manic. "Uh… I thought you were grounded?" She asked, wondering if something else had happened that she should know about.

"He is," Sonic said, casting a glance back at the still grumbling Manic. "But this is a special circumstance. Sandoval called, needs me to come into work for a 'special project.' My guess is someone told on the store and they have to prove they're actually keeping me gainfully employed or lose all those exemptions I give 'em."

"Jerk," Amy pronounced. She'd long decided that if she ever met Sonic's employer, she couldn't be held responsible for what happened to the man at her hands. "Didn't you ask for this day off?"

"Yesterday I asked off, I usually don't work Sundays, that way they don't have to pay me the Sunday rate," Sonic answered, jerking a thumb back towards his younger brother. "So Manic's getting a temporary reprieve so he can get Tails back home once we're done here." At the hedgehog's words, one of Tails's drooping ears perked up underneath his hood.

"Take… Take me back?" he asked tentatively, the first words he'd spoken since his disastrous interrogation the night before. Sonic looked at him in confusion.

"Sure kid. You're cute but I don't think Doc Kintobor's gonna want you just hanging around here all day," he said with a smile.

"Doctor Kintobor is busy with another patient right now, but he should be ready for you momentarily. Wanna take a seat?" Amy asked as she typed a few things into her computer terminal, the same one she'd used the day before in her efforts to track down any record of Miles Prower. Their names thus entered into the system, Sonic took his two charges to have a seat. Though Tails still kept his hood up, he was feeling much better as he observed the other Mobians sitting in the waiting room. Eyes stared, not at the two tailed fox draped in a long gray cloak, but at the petulant looking green hedgehog boy with the outlandish haircut. Manic had chosen to wear his spiked armbands again today which, combined with his spiky hairstyle and the ever present earring, made him look fairly punkish. Quite a few of the parents present were giving him wary looks.

"I wish you wouldn't wear that stuff," Sonic commented as he offered the green mammal a magazine. Still angry that he was being asked to do a favor AND not getting anything in return, Manic brushed it aside.

"It's my body I can do what I want with it," Manic quipped as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared back at the people watching him. Sonic's response was a chortle.

"Not hardly," he said as he handed the magazine to Tails. Curious, the kit took the proffered literature and opened it.

"This isn't fair Sonic. I'm doing you a big favor, and you can't even cut me a little slack with the whole grounding thing. Heck, you should be thanking me. Mighty saved your butt 'cause I got him there."

"And if you'd let him handle it alone, you would have gotten a thank you and I probably would have cut you a deal for this, but you attacked that red guy on your own." At the mention of his unsuccessful strike against the echidna, Manic shivered. He honestly hadn't thought the Gyro-Sword would break so easily; he'd seen someone actually get knocked unconscious by the toy before.

"S-Sonic?" Tails suddenly asked. The blue hedgehog looked down at the kit who'd let go of the magazine he'd been handed and was now glancing nervously about the waiting room. Most of the Mobians present seemed okay, but there were quite a few that looked like they were here for more than just a simple check-up, pain etched upon their faces, casts on their limbs, and other such paraphernalia of the sick and injured.

"What's up kid?"

"What… What is this place?" Memories were playing themselves through the kit's mind, memories of a similar place where injured Mobians had been held, though not with their own consent. With those memories came back feelings of fear, as signified by Tails suddenly drawing his cloak closer around his body, hoping the fabric could shield him in some way.

"It's okay Tails, this is just a clinic."

"Yeah, nothing to be afraid of here," Manic said, still feeling just a little on the naughty side as he added, ''cept for all them needles they like to poke little kids with." The fox's eyes grew wide. Needles were something he was VERY familiar with, their appearance usually preceded pain and then weakness. Immediately Tails began to play with the tip of one of his namesakes, wondering just where the needle would come from.

"And you wonder why you're not getting a by for this," Sonic hissed at his younger brother as he raised a hand and began to stroke the agitated kit.

"Sonic, I don't think we should be here," Tails suddenly said. "No, definitely not. We can leave now, right?"

"Sorry Tails, but we need to get you checked out," the blue hedgehog responded. "Can't very well take you back to you parents if you got something in your system that might hurt you."

"I don't," the foxling said as he lifted up his shirt and showed his healthy looking coat. "See nothing's the matter with me. We don't have to be here. We don't need to be near needles."

"Not gonna work," Sonic said in his most no-nonsense voice, the same voice he used when Manic was acting up too much.

"No, I don't wanna be here, I wanna leave," the kit said as he began to get up in his chair.

"Is there a problem?" Amy asked, coming over to investigate. Though Dr. Kintobor had a great many juvenile patients, this was not a pediatric clinic, and the female hedgehog preferred the fox not make a scene.

"Nothin' Amy, Manic just scared our little friend here," Sonic explained as he worked to keep Tails in his chair.

"No, I wanna leave," the increasingly agitated fox continued to say as he squirmed even harder. "Sonic, I don't wanna be here, please."

"Come on Tails, just relax," the hedgehog said.

"It's all right," Amy chimed in, "nothing is going to happen to you here, I promise."

"N-Nothing?" Tails asked, memories of cages and examination tables and straps dancing through his head. Still, Amy seemed nice and if this was where she worked… the young Mobian began to calm down a bit. Sonic had promised to help him, even after yesterday's problems, so he wasn't going to let anything happen, right? Quietly Tails took his seat, his heart no longer racing in fear.

"Ah, I see we have a new patient today." At the sound of that calm, cool tenor voice, Tails's heart rate shot right back up to scared. Clear blue eyes widened and dilated as he beheld the figure that stood before him, a smile on his face. Long legs supported a paunchy body with a wide chest. A short meaty neck sat upon the shoulders of that frame and upon that rested an ovoid head, the only hair upon which was the massive red moustache that spread out from the human's nose and across his upper lip like hairy wings. Tan pants and a light yellow shirt were covered by a white lab coat, the left sleeve of which had been folded back up to the shoulder and pinned closed in deference to the fact that the arm that should have filled it was no longer present. A stethoscope hung from the human's neck, the silver bit bouncing against his ample chest and belly, while his eyes were hidden by a pair of round glasses the lenses of which were so dark nothing could see past them. Despite this, Doctor Julian "Ovi" Kintobor looked the picture of friendliness as his wrinkled face smiled down at the kit he now beheld. On either side of Tails, Sonic and Amy smiled warmly in greeting to the human they considered to be a friend as well, even Manic offered a nod of deference to the doctor who had cared for him when he'd broken his leg two years ago by accident. And yet, none of this mattered even one wit.

"AHHHHHH!" Tails screamed at the top of his lungs as he tried to back away from the human, now using his nails to actively claw at the pink and blue arms that held him. His eyes were wide with fear as they saw not the kindly doctor's gentle form, but the figure of another, harsher man. Evil blue eyes peered down at him, horrible machines poked and prodded him all over, and raw power cascading into his helpless form. "No! No, no NO!"

"Tails," Sonic called as claws scratched and teeth bit at his arms, "calm down kid."

"Yeah, you're safe guy, the doc's a good guy," Manic said as he too worked to hold Tails who at this point had started to produce a high-pitched whining sound. As the kit struggled, Kintobor held his position, unwilling to agitate the boy further by approaching him, yet bewildered as to why he should cause this cub such distress. After a few minutes of his friends' placations, the two tailed fox began to calm down, though his limbs held Sonic's arm in a deathgrip none the less.

"I know I may not be the most pleasant human to look at," Dr. Kintobor said in a gentle and understanding voice, "but I assure you, I'm not some monster." Taking a half step forward, the doctor held out his hand toward the fox's face. Though they had evolved quite a bit from their more feral ancestors, Mobians in general still retained some aspects of their primitive instincts, just as humans did. In the cases of foxes and other canidids, allowing them the chance to gather your scent to prove you weren't a threat was often most helpful in first meetings. Tentatively Tails's nose took in Kintobor's scent and, though he didn't stop gripping Sonic's arm, he did stop whimpering and quivering. "It's all right," Kintobor cooed, "no one here would dream of hurting you."

"Sorry about this Doc," Sonic apologized, using his free hand to stroke the kit's head fur.

"It's all right folks," Kintobor explained as he turned back to the other waiting Mobians. "We just have a new patient and he's a little skittish." Turning back towards Sonic he continued, "If you are ready, we can move back to the examination room."

"You okay kid?" Sonic asked his young friend as the fox began to release his arm. Silently, and more than a little embarrassed, Tails nodded slightly. Sonic turned his head towards Manic. "You want to come in with us, or are you good out here?"

"I'm good, Sonic," Manic responded. "Nothin' in there I haven't seen before." At this point the green hedgehog's gaze fell upon Amy as the pink hedgehog took her spot back at the desk. "'Sides, view's better out here anyway." Rolling his eyes at his brother's antics, Sonic led Tails behind Dr. Kintobor and into the examination room.

* * *

Tails was shivering as he sat on the examination table. This was not the fearful shivering he'd been doing before, but a direct response to the frigid temperature of the examination room. The clothing he'd been given by Sonic lay in a nearby chair, folded up along with the cloak he'd reluctantly relinquished to the hedgehog; his new shoes tucked under said chair. Quietly the fox rubbed his furry arms as Kintobor continued to write down notes on his clipboard.

The examination had been fairly mundane. The human had started by measuring the fox's height and weight, a task for which Tails was still unsure why he had to be naked for. Then he'd put the cub up on top of the table and had stuck a flat piece of wood into his mouth before making him say "Ahh." Lights were flashed into the boy's nose and ears, and Kintobor had even placed his stethoscope to the child's chest, a sensation that had caused Tails to issue forth a giggle.

Then had come the reflex test, utilizing the small rubber mallet and the fox's knees. Though at first somewhat mystified as to why he was being struck, especially since it didn't happen to hurt, the sudden jerking of his legs seemed to mean something to the human, and he'd written on the clipboard. Afterward, Dr. Kintobor had asked Tails to lie down on his stomach and then, much to the vulpine's surprise; the human had begun to "pet" him. Or at least, that was the sensation Tails equated the physician's actions with. The reality was that Kintobor was merely running his gloved fingers through the kit's fur coat, paying special attention to behind his ears, the back of his neck, and the base of his tails.

"Sonic, Amy told me you found our young friend here living on the streets?" Kintobor asked.

"Uh, yeah," Sonic responded.

"Interesting…"

"Is somethin' wrong Doc?"

"No… no, nothing is wrong," the doctor admitted. "But I will need to draw some blood."

"Blood?" Tails said in a distressed voice, fully understanding this part of the conversation. His distress did not dissipate as he saw the Doctor begin to prepare a needle and some vials. Before the fox kit could scramble off his belly and bolt, Sonic was next to him, having already anticipated such a reaction. "Sonic I don't like needles."

"Nobody does big guy," Sonic admitted, "but the doc needs some of your blood; ta make sure everything a-ok on the inside of ya."

"Yes it's very important," Ovi confirmed, sidling up to the fox. "I promise to make it as quick and painless as possible; just a little prick for a short moment or two." Tails stared at the sharp needle in the doctor's tray, not at all liking it. Still, if Sonic said it was okay…

Tentatively the fox held out his arm, and Kintobor wrapped a rubber cord around the top part up to his armpit.

"Okay, now make a fist please."

"Why?"

"Because it will constrict the muscles in your arm enough for me to see a surface vein," the doctor explained. "That way I know where to place the needle." Tails did as he was told and closed his eyes in anticipation of the stinging sensation to come. Oddly enough what came was a wet sensation being rubbed onto his skin.

"Is that all?" he asked, his eyes slowly opening. "I didn't even feel… Yeowch!" Had Sonic not been holding him, Tails most assuredly would have leapt about a foot in the air as the needle suddenly penetrated his skin. Thankfully burying his face into the hedgehog's chest kept the vulpine from struggling instinctively as Kintobor drew forth the needed bodily fluid. One, two, three, and four vials were filled with the red liquid that had once coursed through the fox's veins before the shaft of metal was removed from his skin, only to be replaced by a cotton ball.

"Okay, hold this on your arm for me please," the human instructed as he untied the rubber cord. "I must say, you are much better behaved than some of my other juvenile patients, and even a few of the adult ones," so saying the doctor took his tray and turned his back from his patient, "and in my book, such good behavior is deserving of a nice reward." When he turned around again, in his hand Dr. Kintobor held a red and white striped lollipop. This was not the small penny candies doctors have been giving out to their patients for centuries, but a good-sized drugstore lollipop, the kind that could never all fit into a small mouth at once. With a kindly smile, the doctor handed the treat over to his patient. "Sonic," he asked as the fox began to lick the candy confection, "might I talk with you in private?"

"Uh… sure Doc," Sonic said as he followed the portly human out of the examination room.

"Nurse Grundy, could you please see to it that our foxy young friend gets dressed and meets up with young Manic in the waiting room. Tell them Sonic shan't be but a moment." A gazelle in a nurse's uniform nodded and moved over to the aforementioned room. Hedgehog and human moved into an unoccupied room.

"Okay," Sonic asked as the door closed behind him, "what's wrong?"

"As I said before Sonic, nothing is wrong with that boy… and that's what's odd."

"Whaddya mean?"

"You say he was living on the street," Kintobor stated as he leaned his butt against the edge of the room's sink.

"When I found him, he said he'd been on the street for about two weeks."

"He's in perfect health… at least from what I can tell physically."

"And this is a problem…"

"No fleas, no ticks, no signs of mange, or any sort of evidence to indicate some form of trauma from exposure to the elements and pollutants of the city."

"Maybe he's just got a strong immune system?"

"Its more than that," Kintobor said as he showed the hedgehog his clipboard. "He scored perfect on every observation I gave him. Blood pressure, heart rate, hearing, nasal cavity, breathing; you name it and that fox in there gets a perfect score."

"So what's the big deal?"

"Nobody hits the mark that perfectly, those numbers don't actually exist," the human explained. "They're just the mean averages of thousands of people's data. They don't exist except as a medical witticism."

"Okay, so what do you think is going on?" Sonic asked, not liking this one bit. "Amy thinks he escaped from some lab somewhere. Is it possible they did something to his body?"

"I… wouldn't rule it out," the doctor said. "I think it might be a good idea to run some extra tests on his blood samples."

"What do you expect to find?"

"Nothing I hope, at least nothing more out of the ordinary than we're seeing now, but I'd like to be sure. And it will give me a chance to run his DNA, see if I can't match him to any foxes in the system."

"'Kay." Suddenly, Sonic got a look at the time from the clock on the wall. "Ah shoot, I'm gonna be late for work!" Quickly the hedgehog shook Dr. Kintobor's hand and turned to leave. "Thanks for your help doc, just send me the bill, okay?"

"Don't worry about it, Sonic. I'll write this off as good karma," the human called after his blue friend.

Back in the waiting area, Manic had managed to hook up with the once more clothed Tails and the two were amusing themselves with some of the little plastic army men Kintobor kept to for his younger patients. They'd just finished setting up for the battle of all battles when Sonic came hurriedly out of the back.

"We done here?" Manic asked.

"Yeah, I have to jet off to the store," Sonic responded in a rushed voice. "You both head back home and wait for Sonia, you got me?"

"Ah, come on Sonic…"

"No buts Manic, I'm late so I'm not arguing." Even as he said that, Sonic stopped in his tracks. "Look, if you do a good job with Tails today, I'll think about lightening your sentence, okay?"

"But Sonic…"

"No buts… Now good bye and behave, I'll see ya tonight when I get home." With that, Sonic revved up his feet and was gone. Manic shoved his hands into his vest pockets as he and his fox companion for the day began to make their journey home. After only a block or two, Manic stopped, moving into an alley and dragging Tails with him for good measure.

"Manic, what are we doing?" the cub asked. "Sonic said to go back home."

"And I will… eventually." Manic grabbed Tails by the shoulders. "Look, do you remember the way back to the apartment? It's only a few blocks from here."

"I… I think… maybe," Tails said, not at all sure if he wasn't lying. From his vest Manic produced a key. "Not really."

"Okay, then here," Manic said, pulling forth a pen and a paper pad he'd taken from the doctor's office. "Just follow these directions, and you'll get back alright. I need you to just head home and wait for me there."

"By myself!" the distressed kit asked. Already visions of men with guns and angry looking black hedgehogs began to dance through his head.

"Don't worry, don't worry, this is a safe neighborhood," Manic semi-lied. It was a safe neighborhood… as long as you were out in the sun and light and didn't try to sneak around. "Just go back home, and wait for me, I'll be back in a few hours."

"But…"

"No buts," Manic said as he began to move away, stopping for just a second. "Look I got some business I have to take care of and I have to do it alone, okay? You'll be all right if you just follow those direction. See ya." And with that, the green hedgehog took off at a full run.

* * *

Manic had hated to leave Tails like that. It wasn't a fair deal, he knew, but honestly, what else was he supposed to do. Trevor had called this morning as Sonic had been showering in preparation for leaving, a meeting of the whole gang. Though Manic was fortuitous enough to be the rat's favorite amongst the younger members of the Feral Knights, he was still only a scrub, which meant he needed to make it to every meeting, by hook or by crook. It had been a stroke of luck that Sonic had needed him to leave the apartment and, though Manic felt a little guilty about betraying his big brother's trust, he balanced that out with the fact that Sonic really shouldn't have grounded him.

Quickly the green hedgehog weaved his way through the dark alleys and back ways of the streets, leaping over overturned refuse cans and other junk and scaling chain link fences as he did so. A few street people saw the curiously colored Mobian as he moved past them, but Manic knew he was safe thanks to the earring in his ear, a mark that he was under the protection of someone very important and not all that friendly towards those who messed with his posse. Soon the hedgehog found himself in what looked like an abandoned lot, or at least it would have looked like an abandoned lot were it not for the three dozen Mobians milling about, all ranging in ages from ten to sixteen. Like Manic, most of these citizens were sparsely clothed; some of the older ones wearing nothing save the gang's signature golden earrings. They were a diverse group, carnivores and herbivores; mammals, birds, and even one reptile, all standing together and chatting as they waited for their leader to arrive. And arrive he did, leaping down from the fire escape of one of the buildings that bordered the lot.

Trevor was a rat of medium build, though this fact was probably lost on the younger children who were his followers. Brown fur covered his body, and a long, whip-like tail extended from his haunches, its movements controlled and precise. He wore a leather jacket, with a gold chain connecting its two shoulders across his chest. Another chain, this one looking more like regular metal, encircled his waist and was decorated with a metallic skull for a belt-buckle. His feet were bare, all the better for climbing, and he had a scar over the left side of his lip. Sharp claws extended from his fingers, suitable both for taking swipes at enemies and picking locks. And in his ear were three earrings, the symbol of his status as the leader of the gang. As he landed upon the wooden crates that had been set up long ago to serve as his stage, beady eyes surveyed the assembled group, of which Manic had been the last to arrive. Not overly eager to receive another "punishment" from the older rat, the green hedgehog tried his best to blend in with the more drab colored Mobians present.

"Well whaddya know, all you animals made it," Trevor said, a small amount of surprise in his voice. "I gotta admit, I'm impressed, I didn't expect half you furs to make it here on such short notice."

"So what's the deal Trev?" a stoat yelled. "I'm s'posed to be helpin' my old lady today, and she's gonna freak when she finds out I'm gone." Trevor jumped down from his stage and crossed over to the stoat.

"Jerry, Jerry, Jerry," the rat said, placing a hand upon the younger boy's shoulder. "When have I ever called a meeting like this that it hasn't been important?"

"Well… never, I suppose." Trevor smiled at the teen, and then turned his smile upon all of his underlings.

"I understand it was difficult for you all to get here so quickly and on such short notice. I also know that you all have lives too. But commitment to our cause must be absolute. You guys know that I wouldn't do this to you without a reason."

"Why?" piped up a voice that made Manic flinch as he recognized it. "Why would they know it if you've done it before?" Standing in the same alleyway the young hedgehog had entered was a familiar looking fox, gazing with uncertainty upon the rat he'd just inadvertently challenged. Trevor growled a little as he caught sight of the unfamiliar boy, and he moved like a lightning bolt to grab up poor Tails before the fox could get away, roughly hefting the cub into the air by the front of his shirt.

"Who the hell are you?" Trevor demanded, baring his teeth at the now visibly frightened Miles. "You some sorta spy for the humans, that it? You diseased?" At this point Trevor began to shake the fox roughly, determined to get him to answer. All around them other members of the gang were crowding around to see the intruder, angry looks on their faces as they looked at him. Tails began to shake in fear, very much sorry he'd spoken up now.

"Trevor, wait a minute," Manic called as he wiggled his way through the crowd, desperate to get his leader's attention before something irreversible was done. At the sound of the rat's name and the voice calling it, Trevor turned back towards the source, a look of confusion on his face.

"Manic, what is it 'bro?' You know this little punk or something?"

"Yeah, he's a friend… staying with my sibs and me for a while," Manic said, deciding to obey Sonic's orders not to divulge too much information about their temporary houseguest.

"Kid, I've told you before about trying to bring other people into the Knights," Trevor warned, casting a distasteful look back at the scared fox in his hand. "'Specially runty little freaks."

"He's just staying with us Trevor. He was supposed to head home, but I guess he followed me." At this statement, Manic shot the two-tailed fox a dirty look. "But he's not with the humans; he's just a little kid." Trevor stared at Manic for a few minutes before roughly dropping the cub at the hedgehog's feet.

"Fine, you say he's not a disease, and I'll believe ya kid, ya never lied to me before," the rat said before pointing an accusatory finger at his young follower. "BUT, this brat goes south on us, I'm holdin' you personally responsible. Got it?"

"Yeah boss," Manic said, giving a quick salute to the older Mobian. This business concluded, Trevor turned back towards the other members of his gang.

"Okay, now that that's settled, I'm sure you've all heard about the crackdowns the humans have been using to round up our fellow Mobians in droves, right? They say it's meant to make the streets safer and reduce the crime-rate, which is just bull…" At this point Manic's attention shifted from his leader's current rant to Tails as he hefted the kit up by the scruff of his neck.

"What are you doing here?" Manic asked in a voice that was clearly upset. "I told you to go back to the apartment and wait for me."

"I didn't know the way," the fox protested.

"You said you did."

"No, you said I did, I said I wasn't sure," the kit replied.

"But what about the directions I gave you?" Tails held up the scrawled directions, barely legible even to their writer given how rushed he'd been. Manic scowled. He couldn't take Tails home now, not and not rouse the ire of Trevor. "Okay fine, I guess I don't have a choice but to let you stay."

"Manic," called Trevor, causing the green hedgehog to spin around and look at the rat, afraid his inattentiveness had gotten him in trouble.

"Uh… Yeah?" he asked sheepishly.

"Didn't you tell me your brother Sonic got arrested a few days ago and the cops just let him get beat up by the hoods they jailed him with?"

"Yeah, they grabbed him when he had to fight those stupid gangbangers and then just dumped him in a cell like he was a criminal."

"See," Trevor said, indicating he was talking to the entire group, "this is exactly what I am talking about. Human police come across a human gang attacking a Mobian, and they just arrest the Mobian." For a few brief moments, Manic considered pointing out that the cops had arrested the gang members too, but thought better of it. It was never a good idea to interrupt one of Trevor's speeches. "You all know Manic's brother; Sonic Hedgehog. I'm bettin' he's helped all of ya out of jams at one time or another, and he's always keeping us safe. A pillar of our community, but as far as the police are concerned, he might as well be garbage they find on the street." Murmurs of anger began to rise from the assembled Mobians, many of whom also believed the police had acted unfairly. Tails cast a look about him. This scene could definitely turn ugly very quickly.

"Frelling Humans!"

"Worthless Police!"

"Tell me about it. And we all know Sonic's too busy to teach those punks a lesson on his own behalf, ain't that right Manic?"

"Well sure, he has to work to feed me and my sister," Manic responded.

"See, he's a family hedgehog, and they just toss him into jail for doing nothing other than defending himself. I say we teach those humans a lesson on how to treat Mobians."

"Take on the police?" someone asked, sounding unsure. "Isn't that, I don't know, kinda dangerous? They got guns." Trevor smiled at this question, as if both expecting and hoping for it to be asked.

"We can't let them just intimidate us into submission," he said. "We can't let being afraid keep us from getting justice for our brother furry's brother."

"So what are we gonna do?"

"We're gonna take their cruisers," the rodent said bluntly. This got his assembled followers, including Manic, talking speculatively. It was one thing to strike back at the shop keepers and business owners who denied service to Mobians, but it was quite another to try and get back at the police who could easily fight back. "Calm down, calm down, I'm not done yet. Think about what we can accomplish with a couple of police cruisers in our possession. We could listen in when the cops are gonna make a bust on some of us, and then we can go and grab 'em first, keep the cops from making our friends… 'disappear.'" Those words sent shudders down the spines of the assembled Mobians. It was not outside the realm of possibility, in their minds at least, that the rash of missing Mobians was being helped along by the police themselves. If such was the case, a police cruiser and some gear would probably be a huge help to protecting their friends and family. Thus it was no surprise that Trevor's idea was becoming readily accepted by the Mobians present. Manic especially was eager to go along with it, if for no other reason than he'd been dying for some payback for his elder brother.

"I could hotwire one of those cruisers I bet," he bragged, "I'd just need help getting inside." Trevor clapped his hands in approval.

"I was so hoping you'd say that bro-hog," the rat proclaimed. "Since you're the one we're doing this for, it seems only right you get to take the first cruiser." So saying he rubbed Manic's spiny head with a smile. Behind the both of them, Tails watched in worry.

* * *

"Chaos is power, Power enriched by the heart," Knuckles chanted as he sat cross legged before the Ruby Blaze Chaos Emerald as it floated a few inches above the ground. The crystalline jewel glowed red as the echidna before it attempted to access its power. He had managed to make camp under an overpass in the freeway. It wasn't much and he knew he couldn't leave his important stuff there or it would be taken by any of the many vagrants who often tried to encroach on his spot. Still, when one did not possess the funds necessary to maintain a hotel room, and was distrustful of giving information out in any event, any roof was better than none.

"Greetings honored Knuckles," an old voice spoke from the emerald as an image of three elderly echidnas appeared on its surface, gazing out at him.

"Noble elders, it pleases me that I was able to get through," Knuckles said, touching his fists together and bowing in his sitting position.

"Have you completed your mission? Has the Topaz Star been removed from play?"

"Not yet," Knuckles admitted, a shamed look coming to his face. "I have encountered resistance beyond the fox."

"Cyberon?" the astral echidnas asked, each one looking very concerned.

"No, I have obeyed orders and managed to stay below their notice, but there is someone else guarding the boy. A hedgehog."

"You disappoint us young one. Some hedgehog should prove no match for the Guardian."

"He possessed some unexpected abilities and a… powerful friend." Silently Knuckles hoped the chaos emerald did not allow his superiors to see the shiver he'd performed. The armadillo's strength had been frightening to say the least.

"In other words, you underestimated your opposition," the elderly echidnas said. "Pride is ever the sin of our people, Knuckles, more so in you than in any other, given the power you wield. Be careful you do not slide down the same slippery slope as our ancestors so many years ago." Knuckles nodded, closing his eyes.

"Sir, I ask once more for a change in my mission objectives," the young echidna suddenly asked, causing his elders to look at him skeptically.

"You disagree with our orders, honored Knuckles?"

"I do not believe our needs are best served by eliminating an outsider child. We would be best served by destroying this menace at the source; Cyberon and its pet Shadow. If the boy could still be considered a threat, he would prove safe enough kept in our village under our watchful eyes." The three images gasped as one.

"You would allow an outsider, a non-echidna, to live amongst us? Have you been in the outside world so long that it has addled your brains?"

"If what you have told me of the fox is true, then we are as much responsible for him as Cyberon and should find an honorable method of keeping him safe."

"Your objections have been noted, Knuckles, but they are denied," the emerald echidnas spoke. "Your predecessor attempted to destroy this evil at its source, and he paid the ultimate price for his actions. Shadow is too powerful to confront alone, and we've no idea where Robotnik has hidden the Cyan Storm Chaos Emerald. It is only a stroke of purest luck that the Topaz Star has been rendered vulnerable, a chance we will not squander."

"But…"

"We begin to wonder if your previous failure in neutralizing the Topaz Star is not due to resentment about being denied your vengeance."

"My duty is clear!" Knuckles protested. "I have not trained all my life simply to throw it away on a whim!" The three echidnas looked doubtful.

"Hardly a whim, they murdered your father," was the response. "Still, you have ever been faithful to the tribe's needs. If you say you are not in conflict, we will believe you."

"That's nice," came a harsh voice that caused Knuckles to turn his head. Standing behind him, his arms crossed was the black silhouette of Shadow; a knowing smirk on his face. Immediately Knuckles got to his feet, a confused look on his face. "If you're going to try to be inconspicuous around me, I would suggest you find another means of communication besides a chaos emerald. That makes it remarkably easy to track you down."

"Knuckles, do not engage Shadow. Escape and regroup," the ethereal echidnas commanded as the connection was broken. Shadow smirked in amusement.

"They're making a rather tall order of you, echidna," he said as he uncrossed his arms and took a step towards the Guardian. "I suppose you should know I've been sent to kill you."

"Big surprise," Knuckles scoffed as he quickly collected the Ruby Blaze and placed it under his poncho where it would be safe. Quickly his eyes darted over to the bow and arrows he'd laid near his bedroll. Without a second thought Knuckles surged forward, surprising Shadow who immediately fell into defensive stance. Before the echidna could strike the hedgehog however, he broke off the attack, turning sharply as he moved to grab his weapons. Though it grated him to run from a battle, especially a battle he wanted, he also knew Shadow had taken him completely by surprise, not the best conditions to take on a fully awakened chaos emerald. Shadow too moved quickly, intercepting Knuckles with a fist. Natural echidna might proved capable of protecting the young Guardian from the fury of Shadow's attack, though the fact that he was somewhat off balance meant the blow was enough to send the young warrior crashing into a wall. With Knuckles out of the way, at least for the moment, the black hedgehog moved over to the quiver of arrows his opponent had been trying to rescue. Plucking one of the primitive looking weapons from its leather carrier, Shadow felt a sudden feeling of weakness as the green crystal of one of the arrowheads sparkled in the sunlight for him. Quickly did the creature recover his composure, casting a somewhat amused expression back at Knuckles as the echidna pulled himself to his feet.

"Seed crystals," Shadow stated as he held up the arrow in his hand, displaying the oddly chosen stone used to give it an edge. "You've come prepared this time I see."

"One always needs to be prepared when dealing with monsters," Knuckles retorted, his left hand slowly reaching under his poncho, sliding invisibly into the special glove that hung at his waist.

"You do realize that now that I know what this is, it won't be able to work on me, correct?" Shadow asked, bending the flexible shaft of the arrow in his hands.

"They weren't meant for you," Knuckles responded, looking for his opening. At his words, Shadow's expression darkened visibly.

"I see," he snarled as the arrow in his hand snapped audibly. "If that's the case, then I really can't let these things stick around." Turning his eyes from Knuckles, the avatar of the Gray Dusk Chaos Emerald extended his arm, pointing his palm at the remaining arrows. "Chaos…"

"…Charge!" Knuckles yelled as he leapt forward, his now gloved hand arcing downward as it began to glow in a fearsome red light. Shadow, sensing his danger, turned, his hand rising to block the attack. A look of pain came across his face as the metal spikes on the echidna's battle glove pierced his palm, cutting flesh and bone as the sharp tips exploded out of the back of the hedgehog's hand.

"Argh!" Shadow yelled as his arm only barely managed not to buckle under the attack, and thus kept the sharp spikes from penetrating his chest as a result. Quickly Knuckles's right swung forward, but this time Shadow was prepared, grabbing the fist by the wrist and holding it tight. "Impressive. I never would have believed one so young could have such command over the powers of chaos."

"I'm just full of tricks," the guardian quipped as he attempted to overpower his opponent with his own chaos enhanced strength. Though he'd been able to draw forth the power quickly, such an enhancement was extremely fleeting, and Knuckles could already feel the power he'd absorbed from his emerald beginning to dissipate. In short order Shadow began to take control of the fight, pushing his crimson opponent back. With a vicious yank, the black hedgehog ripped the echidna warrior from his feet, throwing him roughly to the side. As he moved, Knuckles's deadlocks fanned out behind him, allowing him some control over how his body landed. Shadow on the other hand pulled the ruined and bloody glove from his injured hand, gazing at the twin slits that had been cut into it. Holding the black furred appendage in his good hand, Shadow marshaled the powers of the powerful artifact deep inside of him.

"Chaos Regeneration," he called as a silvery sheen of energy coated his hand. Before Knuckles's startled eyes, the injuries his battle gloves had caused to the dark hedgehog began to vanish, flesh and muscle closing together again as though they'd never been parted. Catching sight of Knuckles's surprised expression, Shadow smirked. "You're not the only one with tricks, echidna."

_&I can't take him right now. He's too on guard,&_ Knuckles thought, his hand moving back under his poncho. He hated having to resort to tricks, as a warrior he would have much rather attacked this problem head on. But he had his orders. Carefully he withdrew a handful of what looked like ball bearings. With a snap of his wrist, he threw the balls directly at Shadow. As the small spheres flew through the air, three prongs of metal popped out of each of the balls, allowing them to latch onto the surfaces they struck, such as the ground, the rocks and cement blocks of the overpass… and Shadow himself. Before the hedgehog could wipe the sharp little buggers from his jacket, each and every one exploded, releasing a thick cloud of black smoke into the area. With his enemy blinded, Knuckles scrambled for his bow and arrows before the smoke could dissipate. Quickly he moved towards the outside of the overpass and, using the claws on his battle gloves, quickly began to scale the vertical surface. He was about halfway up when the black form of Shadow came out and caught sight of him.

"Chaos Spear!" he yelled, firing a blast of energy directly at Knuckles. Quickly the echidna moved, narrowly avoiding the attack and staying attached to the wall. To fall now would be his death, he knew that. Shadow cursed as he watched Knuckles scrambling up to the highway, jumping up onto the wall and using the handholds his quarry had inadvertently created as he tried to escape. A sharp punch by the echidna sent a chunk of the highway's barrier tumbling down forcing the hedgehog to release his grip on the wall or be crushed by the stone. With an angry look Shadow looked up in time to watch as Knuckles leapt from the overpass he'd just ascended, his thick dreadlocks spreading out behind him to allow him to safely glide away.

"Next time echidna," Shadow muttered angrily, "and as long as you have one of my kin with you, there will most definitely be a next time."

* * *

Outside the chain link fence that surrounded the lot the police cruisers were parked in, Tails and Manic stood hidden in an alley with Trevor standing behind them.

"Okay guy, this is your moment to shine," the rat said, his arm draping over Manic's shoulders. "You get us a cruiser, and we'll be able to help a lot of people."

"Manic, I'm not sure this is such a good…"

"Nobody asked you to come along foxboy," Trevor barked. "I'm not entirely sure I shouldn't do Manic a favor and drop you in a dumpster somewhere. I still say you're on the police's payroll."

"He isn't Trev, trust me," Manic said, holding up his hands to the rat. "And don't worry about the cruiser, I'll get you one, and all nice and washed too."

"Hah, knew I could trust ya, my mean green machine. Remember, if you need us, just send up a sign or something and we'll come running."

"Not a problem Boss-man," the younger Mobian called, saluting as he moved out of the alley, Tails following him rather than remain behind with Trevor. The two children moved quietly around the building, trying not to attract any attention to themselves as they moved around the fence's perimeter, near the wall of the police building. From his belly bag, Manic pulled loose a pair of wire cutters and quietly snipped the metal wires that made up the fence. Once their way in was opened, Manic and Tails crept inside the perimeter, trying to keep to the shadows of the building, and out of the sights of the lone guard. Soon the green hedgehog spied a likely candidate for theft, the cruiser that was furthest away from the guard's post and thus the one least likely to be noticed until too late. Motioning for his foxy friend to follow, Manic slinked towards his target, circling around behind the police cruiser as he opened the door to get inside, followed by Tails.

"How are we supposed to get it off the lot?" the fox asked, gathering his cloak about him as he stared at the car's steering wheel and gages. It was a good question as, for obvious reasons; the cruiser's key was not in its ignition.

"We'll have to hotwire this baby," Manic said as he ducked down under the steering wheel and carefully pried away the hard plastic covering under it.

"How do we do that?" Tails asked as, careful of his friend's dulled quills, he followed suit, trying to see what was going on. Underneath a group of wires could be seen, leading all over the place in order to better transport electric energy throughout the vehicle's dashboard. As he gazed at the multitude of wires, Manic froze for a bit.

"I'm… not really sure," he admitted as he reached up to tentatively touch the wires, making sure they weren't going to suddenly shock him. Flash fried hedgehog was most definitely not something he wanted to be this Halloween. "Trevor told me once how to do it, but it was with another car, not a police cruiser. If I remember correctly, you're supposed to cross some of the wires after they leave the ignition tumbler, that way you get the circuit going without the key." Slowly Manic tried to find the necessary wires, but was quickly becoming somewhat less than patient with the process. For a few more minutes the hedgehog continued fiddling with the wiring. "Grr… this stupid car, it's impossible to work with from this position."

"Let me try," Tails asked, nuzzling his way past the green eleven-year-old. Huffing angrily Manic pulled himself back up into the driver's seat.

"Not like it's gonna do any good, kid, this is impossi…" As if to spite the young hedgehog, the cruiser's engine suddenly came to life, even going so far as to give off a quiet roar as if it understood the need to not draw attention to itself. Slowly the two tailed fox pulled himself back up into the seat. Manic looked at him incredulously. "How did you do that?"

"I don't really know. I just connected a few of the wires that were closest to that thing where the key fits in," Tails answered, looking just a little less than thrilled that the formerly quiet vehicle was now making so much noise. "Can we go now? I don't think those police officers would be happy to find us in one of their cars."

"Just give me a moment to figure out how to get this thing going forward," Manic insisted, prompting Tails to look at him weirdly. "What? I've never driven a car before."

"Hey, what do you think you're doing you furry hoodlums!" came a voice that caused fox and hedgehog to jump a little as a human dressed in a blue policeman's uniform was approaching their parked car.

"Crud, how do you make this thing go?" Manic asked, randomly grabbing levers and pushing buttons as he tried to mimic the actions he vaguely remembered his parents performing whenever they drove their own car. Finally an errant hand managed to hit the lever along the side of the steering column, shifting the transmission of the automobile from "Park" to "Drive." With a sudden lurch the car jumped forward as power was transferred from its engine to its wheels. Upon seeing that the two Mobians were now very close to succeeding in stealing a police cruiser, the cop blew his whistle and began to run towards them, hoping to block car in. "We have to go faster," Manic said as he kicked his feet, too short to reach the pedals he knew would be instrumental in such a feat. "Tails, one of those things down there, it makes the car accelerate. Get down there and push it."

"Why me?" the frightened fox asked, not at all enthusiastic about being down in such a tight space while the vehicle was in motion.

"Because I need to work the wheels! Now get going or we're gonna get caught!" Manic bellowed, causing Tails to dive under the console. Staring at the two choices he had, the young fox pounced on one of the black pedals, and immediately the cruiser was brought to a jarring stop. "Wrong pedal kid, get the other one!" Manic yelled, obviously distressed with how close the cop was to them. Quickly Miles obeyed, putting his full weight on the other pedal as he did so. With a squeal of rubber on pavement, the car sped forward, causing the policeman who had been in the way to give a terrified yell as he leapt away. "Too much, too much! Get off the pedal!" Manic yelled as he struggled to keep from hitting any of the other cars in the lot. Thankfully most of the cruisers were out for the day already, making the task moderately easier than it might otherwise have been. Tails eased up on the pedal, trying to figure out how much pressure to apply to keep from going too fast. A sudden crash very nearly spooked him completely onto the accelerator again.

"What was that?"

"The fence, they closed it on us so I had to… remove it," Manic admitted as his arms moved to turn the steering wheel. "Just hold onto that pedal till I tell you to use the other one."

"This is insane," Tails pointed out worriedly. "We're gonna get creamed in this thing."

"We're not gonna get creamed kid now just hang on and keep the speed up." Fear and excitement coursed through Manic's veins as he began to drive in the streets, narrowly missing cars and pedestrians as he worked to keep the machine under control. This was definitely the most exciting thing he'd ever done, and the idea that he was helping Trevor save other Mobians only filled him with pride.

As the car left the lot, policemen scrambling into their own vehicles to give pursuit, the aforementioned rat grinned from the safety of the alley. His plan had worked perfectly; Manic had managed to strip the department of almost every officer in the building. That made it so much easier to get into the evidence locker and raid it for some valuable "merchandise."

_&If that little pipsqueak manages to evade the cops I'll have to remember to give him some sort of pat on the back later,&_ the rat thought as he skulked towards the police station.

Meanwhile, roughly three blocks away, Manic was finally getting used to driving, managing to keep the car from causing too much damage as it raced up the streets. Though he'd succeeded in avoiding hitting other occupied cars and pedestrians, even if it was sometimes only by the skin of his teeth. A trail of bent signs and cars disturbed from their original parking spaces marked his path of destruction.

"Do you know where we're going?" Tails asked as he tried to keep the accelerator steady, deathly afraid that if he put too much of his weight on it and gave Manic too much speed, they'd both be flattened against a brick wall. Of course allowing the vehicle to lower its velocity would give the pursuing policemen a better shot at catching them, and the young vulpine was quite sure he didn't want that for either of them.

"I… don't really know," Manic admitted, looking down at Tails who now looked at him with a face that was a mix between horror and disbelief. "Trevor never told me WHERE to take the cruiser once I stole it, so…"

"So what do we do?"

"We find a place to ditch it and then we get the heck back home. Sonia might be back soon and that bigmouth would never keep anything like this a secret." At the sound of Manic's less than satisfying answer, Tails released a worried whine. The sound of police sirens could be heard as other cruisers pursued, a few breaking off here and there as they prepared to begin to head off the errant car, preferably without hurting any bystanders. Thankfully, from the two thieves' point of view anyway, Manic proved to be too erratic a driver to safely predict and each time the police quickly found themselves forced to resort to simply boxing him in. Slowly the green hedgehog found his driving options limited, a fact that did not bode well as he made a final turn. "Tails, push the brake!"

Startled, the fox hesitated for a second before slamming his full weight down on the brake pedal. Wheels once more squealed, with the two back tires actually popping as the car tried to stop its progress. A hard thump jolted both of the children as the cruiser made contact with the aluminum door of a loading dock, knocking the barrier off of its track and denting inward the grill of the car. In the driver's seat, the airbag had deployed, protecting Manic from the brunt of the impact, though his ribs didn't much like being slammed into a wall of air, even if it could have been so much worse. Beneath him, Tails had grunted as he too had been thrown forward. Unlike his friend, though, the fox had miraculously avoided any injury, not even so much as a spell of dizziness, a fact that a casual observer, had such a creature been able to exist at a vantage where they could see the kit, might have attributed to the cloak he wore about him cushioning him from the impact. As Tails lifted himself from the floor, the golden glow of the topaz he wore at his neck faded a little bit.

"Where… where are we?"

"Not sure, kid," Manic answered only to turn his head at the sound of incoming police sirens. "But I know where we can't be." Using a broken quill to pop the airbag that pinned him to the seat, Manic grabbed Tails's arm and opened the door, moving as quickly as he could inside the building, an abandoned warehouse as it turned out. They made it out of sight just before the cop cars arrived and the police exited their vehicles, weapons drawn in case of a trap of some sort. Humans in blue uniforms looked around the downed cruiser's immediate vicinity, giving the two Mobians a chance to find a safer place to hide. Quickly Manic pulled Tails deeper into the warehouse, wishing the structure was still in use so there'd be something to hide behind. Going up the three flights of stairs to the second floor gave access to what must have, in the building's heyday, been the business offices. Flashlights from the first floor indicated that the cops had entered the building, no doubt determining this to be where the two miscreants fled.

"Attention trespasser or trespassers, this is the police. Come out into the light with your hands up in the air," the lead policeman called, a somewhat futile gesture given the situation, as Manic was not about to go to jail.

"Manic look," Tails whispered as he pointed up at a grill that clung to the opening of an air-conditioning ducts. Quickly the green hedgehog grabbed hold of an old chair and wheeled it over to the wall directly under the grating.

"It's too far up," he decided, turning to the fox. "Tails I need you to get up onto my shoulders so you can pry the grating off. Then I can boost you into the ducts." The kit looked not at all sure about this.

"But how will you get up? It doesn't look like there's enough space for me to turn around there, and I'm not strong enough to pull you anyway."

"I know, you're gonna have to shimmy through and get outside. Go get help."

"M-m-me?" the alarmed Tails asked. He didn't know anybody; or at least, he didn't know anyone he could readily ask for help. Manic was busy writing something on yet another piece of scrap paper, though this time he was going much slower.

"This is Sonic's work number," he said, handing Tails the paper, as well as two coins. "I need ya ta get to a phone and call him." Inwardly Manic winced. He really, REALLY didn't want to drag his elder brother into this mess; Sonic would most likely be furious with Manic, but, at this point, he honestly didn't know what else to do. He could already imagine just how angry Trevor would be that he lost the squad car, there was no way he could speak to the rat so soon. Quickly he climbed up onto the chair and motioned for Tails to join him, hefting the smaller cub up onto his shoulders before handing him a screwdriver.

For his part, Tails found the vent to be old and rusty, the screws holding it in place brittle with age and easily broken. Sliding the head of the tool between the wall and the metal, the fox's young muscles flexed as he pried the vent from its place with a pop. From his precarious perch atop the chair, Manic's hand shot out as he grabbed the falling object before it could strike floor and cause a racket. Tails smiled apologetically as he gazed down to see the annoyed look on Manic's face. Pulling himself up to the duct, Tails shimmied inside, his twin namesakes wiggling behind him as he squished inside.

"Remember kid, once you find a phone, call Sonic and get him here quickly," Manic called in a hushed tone, uncertain as to how close the cops were to searching the room. The sound of a small body shifting through the tight ducts was all the response he got. Grateful the fox was smart enough to know not to make too much noise, Manic hopped down from the chair and went to hide.

* * *

"I need that stuff done TODAY Hedgehog!" Sandoval bellowed at Sonic as the blue hedgehog worked to stock the shelves with merchandise. Though Sonic was more than capable of doing this task in record time, even with customers cluttering up the aisles, he was somewhat handicapped by his own desire to take a look at each new CD he was putting up. As a fan of music it wasn't uncommon for the hedgehog to suggest CDs as presents for his birthday. Though somewhat ashamed of it now, he'd actually frittered away some of the money he'd received from his parents' deaths on a new player when he'd just started out, before the real world had shown him just how expensive life was.

Listening to his boss's obnoxious yell, the blue hedgehog snapped out of reading the back of a disk by the Flash Track Attack Crew and hastily got back to work, placing the merchandise in its appointed spot. Satisfied, for the most part, that the job was getting done, Sandoval ducked back into the stockroom, no doubt hoping that whoever was supposed to be doing a surprise inspection of his store would be satisfied by Sonic's presence. The last thing he needed was to lose the tax cut the Mobian's presence provided, even if he wasn't particularly fond of the spiny blue beast. Sonic cast a nasty look at his boss's retreating back before he went back to perusing the CDs while stacking them.

_&Not like I couldn't have this done in a sonic second if I wanted to,&_ he thought to himself.

"Excuse me sir, do you have a copy of Minnie Verenda's Booga-Looga-Luge?" a woman asked him as he continued his on-the-job shopping. Sonic cast a quick look of annoyance before answering the question.

"Over with the oldies Ma'am." The woman gave him a curt nod before leaving.

"Sonic," a small voice said, causing the hedgehog to release another annoyed grunt. Why was it people always needed to bother him when he was busy. Thus he was quite surprised to find a familiar little fox looking at him, one of his tails twisting anxiously as the other wrapped around his ankle.

"Tails, what are you doing here?" Sonic asked, his eyes widening as he looked at the fox.

"Manic's in trouble," the fox blurted out, and then proceeded to give a rapid-fire account of the green hedgehog's current predicament, speaking so fast Sonic wound up needing to force the cub to stop and start over again at a slower pace. "And then Manic had me go through the air vents and told me to call you but I couldn't find a phone so I tried to head back to that clinic to find you from there and I'm so glad I did because I didn't know where you worked but I saw you in the window and I…"

"Whoa whoa kid, I get it," Sonic said. "Right now we need to get to Manic before the cops haul my brother off to a jailhouse for the rest of his life." Grabbing hold of the fox's arm, the blue hedgehog marched over to his boss's office, loudly knocking on the door to get the middle manager's attention. "Yo, Mr. S. I gotta cut out early for a family emergency."

"Nothin' doin' hedgehog, I need you're spiny butt here today," the human nonchalantly replied, not even noticing the fox cub by his employee's side.

"I know, I know, but this is important. I need to go get my little brother."

"If that hoodlum's gotten himself into trouble again, he can bloody well get himself out of it Mobian," the irritated manager bit back. An angry look crossed the hedgehog's face.

"Look, I don't ask for much around here, and Heaven knows you give me even less. How about this once you actually act like a decent guy and let me do something I need to do?"

"Fine, Hedgehog. If you want to leave, go ahead. But the moment you step one paw out of that door, you can just consider yourself FIRED!" Sonic backed up a bit and looked as though he was considering his options. Then he grabbed hold of the name badge pinned to his shirt, unhooking the plastic card and flinging it right at his manager, hitting Sadoval in the face. Immediately the human became red-faced. "Why you little…"

"Stow it, Moustache, I quit!" the hedgehog yelled back, somewhat frightening the customers who had been watching the confrontation. Grabbing hold of Tails, Sonic rushed out of the music shop's door. "Okay kid, point me where Manic is." A foxy finger gave the heading and the hedgehog sped off to rescue his brother, his vulpine companion in tow.

* * *

Back at the warehouse, Manic was still hiding as the police continued their methodical search of the place. They'd already completed their search of the first floor and were drawing ever closer to the office Manic was hiding in. The green hedgehog had tucked himself under a desk, silently thanking whoever had previously owned the furniture for wanting something that completely hid their legs. Not that that would help him much if the police did something as simple as walk around to the desk's other side.

_'Come on Sonic, where are you?'_ he thought desperately. Not that he held out much hope of being rescued by his elder brother.

The door to the office opened, and Manic held his breath. The office had looked completely abandoned when he'd entered, and the hedgehog boy had disturbed little if anything when he'd hidden. With any luck the cops would simply assume no one had been in here at all.

"Hey Joe, anyone checked this one out yet?" called a voice that was coming directly from the open door.

"Don't think so Lou."

"Looks like no one's been here."

"Check it anyway. The Captain wants us to catch whoever stole that squad car, and I want to be able to say we checked everything."

"All right, all right." Footsteps began to enter the room, and Manic began to tremble. Already visions of his capture danced through his mind, memories of Trevor's stories of Mobians disappearing after being taken in by the cops bolstering his fears.

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard outside of the building as something fell over. The cop in the office jumped rather loudly.

"What was that?" he yelled to his partner, his feet already in motion to carry him back out of the office.

"I don't know, but it came from outside. It could be our perp," answered the other officer as both began to charge down the stairs. Manic waited for a few minutes before crawling out from under the desk. He needed to find another hiding spot, preferably someplace the cops had already searched. Hopefully it wouldn't occur to the policemen to re-check their previous progress. Quietly he stepped out of the office, looking both ways to make sure no one would spot him. He was thus quite surprised to find himself suddenly being grabbed and pulled forward at an incredible velocity. Before the green hedgehog could cry out in fright, a hand clamped over his mouth. Manic cast a terrified look upward, only to find he had been "captured" by none other than his own big brother.

Sonic didn't pay his little passenger any attention, focusing on moving too fast for anyone to notice his presence. In seconds he had evaded every single police officer in the building, whizzing past their blind-spots so nimbly they didn't even notice the wind his passing generated.

"Thanks Sonic, I thought I was a goner," Manic said as Sonic put him down on the ground a fair distance outside the warehouse. Tails waited nearby, hiding in the shadows of a phone booth with his hood pulled up. "I guess we showed those dumb…" The green hedgehog's words were cut off as he suddenly found himself staring at an angry finger connected to an even angrier blue hedgehog.

"Not. One. Word," the elder hedgehog growled. "I don't want to hear one single word coming out of your mouth right now Manic." Manic stared at his furious guardian's eyes, his mouth falling open though no words came out. "You are in so much trouble right now, I don't think I can trust myself to express just how angry I am."

"But Sonic I was just…" Once more Manic's voice died as Sonic's hand reached out and covered his mouth, silencing him.

"I. Don't. CARE!" Sonic yelled through teeth gritted so hard cracks might have appeared in the enamel. "Do you have any idea, ANY IDEA, what could have happened to you? Now, I'm gonna take you and Tails home, and you are going into your room and NOT coming out until I say so, and I mean for anything until I say so. And then I'm going to go see if I can't fix the mess you've put us in. And for that entire time, I don't wanna hear one peep out of you. Understand?" Manic opened his mouth again to answer. "I said not to talk!" Sonic barked, causing his brother's mouth to slam shut as he shook his head. Satisfied, Sonic once more grabbed hold of his brother, tucking the smaller hedgehog securely under his arm before giving Tails the same treatment. With a hard kick he sped off, leaning forward as he did so to attain a good speed. It also helped to keep the tears in his eyes from being seen.

* * *

"Another round my good man," Trevor cried as he held up his mug to the bartender, accompanied by a resounding cry from the bar's other patrons. There was no doubt about it; the rat was indeed a very popular Mobian this night. At his request, the bartender took hold of the mug and refilled it with beer from the tap; a cheap, watery beverage, but then that was the primary reason Trevor wasn't worrying about the size of his tab. Besides, tonight he wanted to party. It had been a good day. He'd gotten a good price for the stuff he'd swiped from the police station and was now flush with cash.

As he retook possession of his glass, the rodent's attention went back to his companion, a somewhat trashy looking red head wearing a tube top that was perhaps a size too small for her. She'd sat down next to him the moment he'd started buying everyone drinks, first to take advantage of his generosity and but then curious as to just how generous he could be. He was about to let her see when the door to the bar suddenly swung open rather loudly, drawing everyone's attention.

Passing through the doorframe was a short human with a bulbous head and the longest nose for his species Trevor had ever seen. He was also dressed in a quality suit, much better than anything a patron of this particular bar could afford. One of his hands reached into his jacket pocket, pulling forth a handkerchief and placing it under his nostrils.

"Revolting," he commented, casting a disdainful look about the bar. Of course, such a judgment immediately provoked a response from a grizzly bear sitting at the table closest to the door.

"Well, if we offend you so much shrimpy, maybe you should just leave," the bear growled as he rounded on the little man. The human barely batted an eye.

"Believe me, nothing would make me happier, but I have business here. So kindly sit back down before you do something you'll regret." This caused some laughter from others, none louder than the bear.

"You got business here, huh?" he asked, poking the little man right in the shoulder and causing him to drop his briefcase. "What kind of business could a hoyty-toyty midget like you have with low-life scum like us?"

"The lucrative kind. Now stop poking me or else," the man said in an authoritative tone. Immediately the bear's eyes narrowed as he hefted the human off his feet and slammed him against the wall.

"Ya know, I don't think I like your attitude. So how's about I just toss you back out the front door, and then we can all get back to our drinking?"

"No," the dwarf said his hand reaching up to his brow to touch the small sliver of metal Trevor was just noticing. At his touch, the red light on the metal piece turned green, and that was when things got weird. Suddenly the briefcase rose from the floor as it sprouted six whip-like legs from its edges. Like a shot it leapt up on the bear, the odd limbs coiling around the bear's arms as another wrapped around his neck. The bear grunted as his arms were pulled backward and his neck was squeezed. Struggling against his odd captor, the bruin released the human, allowing him to fall back to the floor. Again the man's hand went to his brow.

"Hold him steady, but don't kill him," he said before releasing the metal sliver again. The robot eased its grip on the bear's neck, but cut no slack for the arms. With his attacker dealt with, the human then turned back towards the rest of the bar. Quietly he fixed his ruffled jacket, smoothing out where the bear had gripped him. "Just for the record, yes, I am the one controlling that little mech there. And if any of you are considering getting some sort of ill-advised revenge…" Another touch of the brow and the briefcase's back opened up to reveal several nozzles that looked far too much like gun barrels for Trevor's taste. "Now than, perhaps we should start over. My name is Colin, and I am looking for someone. Someone very special to me. And, as normal channels have proven insufficient for finding this unique person, I have decided to seek out aid from more… 'unconventional' sources." There was a collective grumbling from the barflies who realized just what "unconventional" was meant to convey. "Now, now, no need to take offense. It's not as though I'm asking for a handout. Anyone who gives me information will be amply rewarded, particularly if it leads to me getting what I want."

"Stop beating around the bush," Trevor called irritably. The sooner this poser finished being so mysterious, the sooner he could get back to enjoying his nice evening. Colin looked annoyed at the rat.

"Philistine. Fine. What I'm looking for, what I'm seeking to find, is a fox and a hedgehog. A fox with two tails, and a hedgehog that can move at fantastic speeds…"

To be Continued…


	7. First Strike

Power Enriched by the Heart

By Asher Tye

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog, past or present. If I did, I like to think the characters would get a bit better treatment. (and more exposure) This story, however, is mine, so I don't want to see anyone out there claiming otherwise, else I'll crawl through cyberspace and bop you on the fool head.

Author's Note: Ahoy-hoy! How was your Holiday? Mine was cool. Went a little nuts with gift cards, but got some great stuff I'm excited about. But you really don't want to hear about that, do you? You wanna read the next chapter of this story! ^_^ Well hopefully the wait hasn't been too bad for everyone. Just remember to review when you read. I thrive on attention.

* * *

Chapter 6: First Strike

* * *

The door to the apartment opened suddenly, startling the pink hedgehog sitting on the couch watching television. Sonia looked at her older brother with concern as he entered, a frown on his face and a foul smell coming off of him. She was almost scared to speak to him.

"How… How did it go?" she managed to ask, keeping her voice soft lest she accidentally invoke her sibling's ire. Sonic looked at her with disappointed eyes.

"Not a chance," he said quietly, his speech slightly slurred. "As far as Sandoval's concerned, I might as well be road-kill on the street." Sonic collapsed on the couch, his head falling into his hands as he rested his elbows on his knees. Sonia's nose wrinkled a bit as she caught the aroma of alcohol on his breath. "I tried everything I could think of to reason with him. I even begged, but he said that since I was so willing to quit, he couldn't trust me not to just go running off again at the drop of a hat. Joel says he's even got another Mobian lined up to take my place so he doesn't lose his tax break." Sonic lifted his head, a sick laugh escaping his lips. "So, for the time being, it looks like I'm outta work." The azure hedgehog then looked around. "Where's Manic?" he asked in a suspicious tone.

"He's… in the bedroom," she answered. As the elder Mobian once more got to his feet, Sonia grabbed hold of his arm pulling him back down. Sonic looked at his sister. "I don't think it's a good idea to see him right now."

"I'm not gonna do anything," he assured her, but Sonia refused to let him go.

"No, Sonic, he's really upset with himself. He's been bawling his eyes out ever since you left after yelling at him. He thinks he really messed up."

"He did," came the blunt response, though the responder hung his head a little after saying so.

"Look, just let him be until morning. He's finally asleep. The only thing waking him up now will do is get him crying again." For a brief moment, it seemed like the blue hedgehog was going to ignore his younger sister's advice, but then he simple leaned back against the couch.

"That makes sense I guess. I just wanted to let him know I'm not angry at him anymore." Sonia's lips pursed.

"You're a bigger Mobian than I am," she pointed out. Now that the danger of her baby brother being awakened was past, she could allow her emotions to show. "He screwed us up big this time."

"Yes, yes he did," Sonic replied. "But we're not as bad off as we seem. I'll go trolling for help wanted signs tomorrow and hopefully something with turn up quickly. A little budgeting with that money Mighty gave me, and we should be able to make it until I get work."

"I hate to jump on a bandwagon, but maybe this would be a good time to revisit the idea of me getting some part-time work," Sonia pointed out. When Sonic looked at her, she ignored the annoyed gaze and continued. "Seriously, it wouldn't be that big a thing Sonic. I'd make sure it was part-time, and only after school, and…"

"And where would it be?" At this, the pink hedgehog fidgeted a bit.

"Well… I'm not sure yet. But if I ask around, I'm pretty sure I can find something." For a brief moment, Sonic almost responded with an automatic "no." He'd said it so many times in the past when she'd asked it was almost second nature to do so. But then he would have to listen to all the reasons she could give as to why her working was a good idea and, after the day he'd had, Sonic just wasn't willing to get into a fight. His head was killing him.

"Why don't we have this conversation tomorrow, okay?" he asked. Sonia crossed her arms, but her head began to nod. Already her mind was coming up with every possible reason it could to prove her case to her older brother. A little more time wouldn't hurt her argument. After all, tomorrow was not that long away.

* * *

"Sir, we've arrived at Calden Street," the G.U.N. sergeant said as he maneuvered the black van he was driving down the street carefully, careful to avoid attracting attention as he turned off the vehicle's headlights. Over on the right side of the van, his passenger looked out the window, disdain evident on his face.

"So this is where the country's roach population comes from," Snively commented. Across the street he caught sight of a grizzled cheetah sleeping in the doorway of a dilapidated building. Two more Mobians appeared to be sharing some sort of drink in a paper bag between them as they walked off into the night, while trash littered the sidewalk, rolling around in the wind like tumbleweeds in some cheap western. Quickly Snively opened the laptop in his lap, awakening the machine from its electronic slumber. After a few minutes, the small computer signaled its wireless network adaptor was fully functional and it was ready to begin looking for information. Opening a link, Snively logged into Station Square's Citizenry Database, his hands a flurry of motion as he summoned the information he sought. A familiar picture of Sonic Hedgehog appeared on the screen, followed by a page and a half of information on him.

"Olgilive Maurice Hedgehog," Snively read aloud, confirming what he saw on the screen. "Age, nineteen; species, hedgehog, Mobian. Recently reported terminated from the Shake, Rattle, and Roll Music store. Home address, 1643 Calden Street, Apartment 405. So this is the little speed demon who kept your friends from accomplishing their mission."

"I don't like this, sir," the driver said, looking at the darkened apartment complex as his superior continued to type at his computer.

"What?" Snively off-handedly asked. While he couldn't have cared less about any moral misgivings the G.U.N. soldier was having, he wasn't about to discount anything relevant the man might say. Afterall, the CEO was not the one with military training.

"Something feels off about this. This is the same guy who took down a Bigfoot. A stripped down one, yeah, but a Bigfoot all the same. That takes some kinda special training."

"Nothing in Mr. Hedgehog's background indicates any sort of training. More than likely the pilot simply got too careless for his own good." Snively gave the driver a hard stare. "We will not be making that mistake. Now, open the back of the van." The sergeant sighed and pushed a button on the driver's console, activating the automatic door at the vehicle's aft. Once more Snively opened a program on his laptop. "E-101 Alpha, power up."

In the dark interior of the van's back, a pair of red lights flared to life. Snively's finger pressed the button on the implant on his forehead, turning on the green light.

"Perform systems check." A series of chirps and beeps came from the machine, mimicked by the program running on the laptop. "Targeting. Sensors. Command link. Motor functions. All systems check out at acceptable parameters. E-102 Beta; E-103 Delta, power up and perform systems check." Two more pairs of red lights came on, illuminating the back and showing off the metallic forms of all three robots the two humans had brought with them.

Egg-Hunters. Robotic search and destroy troops created by Cyberon for G.U.N. Once given a target, they could track it for miles without stopping. Aside from their paint jobs and armaments, the three droids were completely identical.

"Can that doohickey really control those things?" the soldier asked in a skeptical voice.

"My implant will grant me direct command over the Alpha unit," Snively responded. An instant later the spherical body of the robot rose upon its thin, stork-like legs. The flat, dome shaped head made a complete three hundred sixty degree turn before locking back in its original position. Alpha's right arm rose, the pulse gun that served as its right hand clearly visible in the light of its eyes as a clicking sound indicated the energy cartridge that powered the weapon was being locked into place. Satisfied that his puppet was fully functional, the little human once more typed into his laptop. "I'm putting Beta and Delta into drone mode. They'll take their lead from Alpha if I need them."

"If?"

"Egg-Hunters are relentless and equipped to handle anything that comes their way. I doubt a single hedgehog can handle one, no matter how fast he may be. Still, one must be prepared for luck's inevitable role in any encounter." The robot designated Alpha took a heavy step forward as he moved to leave the van. "Now then, let's go hedgehog hunting."

* * *

In the room he shared with his sister, Manic endured a fitful slumber. The young hedgehog sniffled and whimpered in his sleep, a fact that the Mobian sharing his bed was acutely aware of as he was squeezed in the preteen's arms for comfort. Having lived his life as far back as he could remember in a state of perpetual despair and sadness, Tails had a great deal of sympathy for his punkish friend. An unfamiliar fury rose up in the fox kit towards Sonic for putting his little brother through this. How the blue hedgehog could inflict such pain on someone he claimed to love was beyond the cub. When his sensitive ears had picked up Sonic's return some time ago, Tails had wanted to demand answers of the Mobian; an absolutely unique sensation the former C2 couldn't help but strangely enjoy. Then he'd listened to Sonia and decided to stay put.

Suddenly a feeling washed over the vulpine, a feeling of apprehension. His ears began to twitch as he listened to the quiet apartment, hearing nothing that he could place as out of the ordinary. Still the feeling did not dissipate. Gently Tails wiggled his way out of Manic's grip, deftly substituting a fat pillow when the hedgehog attempted to grab him again. The deception seemed to work as Manic did not wake. Once more donning his cloak, Miles padded over to the window and cautiously looked out into the night.

A lone streetlamp flickered outside, providing only a poor excuse for illumination. Of course the denizens of this street had little to fear of muggings, mainly because no one here had anything to take. Cerulean eyes darted in the direction of a noise, a trashcan falling as some feral animal knocked it over. A single plastic bag, discarded by some careless shopper, floated across the street on a breeze. Certainly nothing dangerous appeared to be present.

But the feeling did not disappear.

Worry began to grip Tails's heart. He'd had the same feeling before, just before he'd been attacked by that red creature with the arrows. He'd ignored it then, secure in the knowledge that he was safe with his friends. That had been a mistake.

Worry soon turned into panic as nothing presented itself to the fox, and he gripped the yellow gemstone at his neck for security. Images of himself, bound and helpless, being returned to his cell at the lab danced through his mind, and he began to tremble. Finally he could take it no more. Quietly the fox kit exited the room, careful so as not to rouse its other occupant and entered the living room. Finding only Sonia on the couch, the cub began to wonder where Sonic was, finally locating the blue hedgehog on the dining table, fast asleep. Climbing up on a chair, Tails began to shake the older Mobian, trying to wake him.

"Mmm, mmph," Sonic groaned, slowly opening his eyes to see who'd dared disturb his slumber. Recognizing his temporary houseguest, the irritated speedster prepared to snap at the cub, until he noticed how worried Tails looked. Having already managed to send his little brother to bed in tears, something for which he was very much ashamed of, Sonic wasn't ready to snap at the boy for having a bad dream.

"What's up kid?" Sonic asked groggily, propping his head up with a hand. He really needed some sleep.

"S-Something's wrong Sonic," the cub responded, looking over his shoulder and back at the bedroom door. Immediately Sonic snapped to attention.

"What happened? Is it Manic?" the nineteen-year-old asked, fearful that his younger brother had done something irrational in response to his earlier tirade. There was a fire escape right outside the bedroom window, part of the reason his younger sibs got it over Sonic, so it wasn't exactly like it would be difficult for the green hedgehog to simply leave if he felt truly unwanted. Sonic twisted on the table and swung his legs over the side, ready to go check, when he was stopped by a furry paw grabbing his knee.

"No, Manic's all right, for now I think. But something's coming Sonic, something bad," Tails assured. His fears allayed, at least for the moment, Sonic's panic subsided.

"Tails, I know you had a scare today, but that's no reason to let your imagination run away with you," Sonic pointed out, guessing the former experiment had simply had a nightmare. How many times had Sonia or Manic woke him up in the night claiming the apartment was on fire? Heck, how many times had he woken up with that fear? Silently he reached out and stroked the kid's head fur, trying to calm him down. "Just head on back to bed. I promise you everything will be all right." Suddenly Sonic noticed how Tails's body had become rigid. Worried, the hedgehog removed his hand to get a better look at his young friend. The fox's eyes were glazed over, as though he were not truly looking at what was before him. And, at least Sonic thought, he could see that the normally pure blue of the cub's eyes was being overshadowed by a hint of yellow.

Just as quickly as the odd behavior had begun, it ended as the cub blinked.

"It's… It's coming," the cub suddenly stated. "Sonia. Sonia, get off the couch now!" Tails yelled before Sonic could silence him. "Sonia you've gotta move NOW!" The fox's wailing did the trick as Sonia awoke. Sleep had apparently robbed the female hedgehog of her memory, as she had forgotten completely that she was not in her own bed but on the much thinner couch. Rolling over to see what all the commotion was, the girl promptly fell off the edge and crashed on to the floor.

This action saved her life.

Without warning the apartment's front door burst inward, showering the couch in shards of heavy wood. Sonic ran to his sister's side just in time to meet that which had so violently gained entrance to their home. A robot stomped into the apartment, the lights from the hallway showing off its metallic blue paint job. The dome-like head of the machine man swiveled about, its eyes flashing as it stopped on Tails and then Sonic.

"Primary Target: Experimental Subject Designate C2; Acquired. Secondary Target: Olgilvie Maurice Hedgehog; Acquired," the machine said in a stilted, metallic voice. Then its eyes locked onto Sonia. "Unknown Hedgehog. Identifying… Sonia Sierra Hedgehog. Status: Secondary Target. Proceeding with mission. Capture Primary Target, Terminate Secondary Targets." The robot's right arm rose, revealing the gun on its end, and it took aim at the hedgehog siblings. Sonic's eyes grew wide as he moved both himself and Sonia out of the way in time to avoid the laser pulse fired at them, though the carpet wasn't nearly so lucky. The blue hedgehog high-tailed it into the kitchen, and cover, as the mechaniloid searched for them again. Again the laser gun fired, blasting a hole through the wall and scorching the cabinets behind it.

"What's-what's going on?" a sleepy voice asked as Manic stepped out of the bedroom, rubbing his eyes. The robot's head spun about, its red eye shining directly on the groggy boy.

"Unknown Hedgehog Detected. Identifying: Melvin Percival Hedgehog." Manic's eyes widened a bit as he heard the sound of his real name spoken in a monotone voice. "Status:" the robot's gun arm swung around to point at the green hedgehog, "Secondary Target."

"Manic get down!" Sonic yelled as he ran full speed towards his brother, roughly tackling the younger boy just in time to prevent Manic from being vaporized by the laser blast. Pinned underneath his elder brother, Manic shook his head.

"Wh-What the hell was that?" he yelled as Sonic got up.

"Not too sure, Manny," he replied, ignoring the curse word. "But I think someone's trying to collect our little houseguest."

"Targeting…" called the metallic voice as Sonic was forced to dodge yet another blast of laserfire.

"Okay, we need to book and quick," Sonic decided. Revving up his legs, the blue hedgehog sped out of the room. The apartment was much too small for Sonic to make full use of his super-speed, but the large size of the attacking robot limited its own combat ability as well. "Sonia, grab Tails and Manic and make for the fire escape, I'll be right behind you." As he said this, Sonic leapt at the robot's gun, swinging from the spindly arm like a monkey before pulling up onto the limb like a bird. His kick was still very hedgehog-like, however. The mechanism that allowed the robot's head to spin freely was not equipped with a locking mechanism strong enough to prevent it from being forced to spin. The robot reared back as its head spun out of control, its computer brain struggling to compensate for the wild amounts of visual data it was now receiving. With his opponent off balance, Sonic cannonballed into the mech's midsection, knocking it to its back. With the menace dealt with at the moment, Sonic turned and ran back into the bedroom.

Sonia had followed her brother's orders and was currently about halfway down the fire escape, though the metal structure was not all that steady having lost the metal fasteners that had secured it to a section of wall. Sonic leapt down to the next level, working to keep his balance as the metal wobbled. The hedgehog raced to join his family, but only made it a few levels before a whistling sound came to his ears. Emerald eyes looked up to see what looked like two small missiles heading right towards him.

"Woah!" Sonic yelled as he vaulted the edge of the fire escape just in time to escape the explosion.

"Sonic, it's another one!" Sonia yelled, pointing up at a nearby roof where an identical robot to the one that had invaded their apartment, save for it having a green paintjob, stood, a missile launcher attached to its hand. But this machine didn't bother the eldest hedgehog nearly as much as the third one done up in orange paint that was standing at the bottom of the escape, and pointing what looked like a machine gun up at them.

"Cover!" he screamed, catching his sibling's attention. Sonia shoved Manic and Tails against the wall just as a spray bullets rose to meet them, one of the bullets bouncing off the railing right next to the she-hog.

Sonic decided to take the express way down, jumping off the fire escape for the third time. This time he bounced off the walls of the apartment building, aiming his body for the robot as he dodged the incoming fire. Tucking into a ball, Sonic struck, his sharp quills biting into the hard metal of the machine's armored frame before ricocheting back into the alley at the bottom. Sparks lit from the metal man's body, but it took far less time for it to recover as the robot sprayed more bullets at the blue hedgehog. Sonic found himself tap-dancing to avoid the gunfire.

_'I gotta get this thing out of the alley before the kids get down or they'll be sittin' ducks,'_ the hedgehog thought to himself. Lacking options, Sonic simply sped forward before the robot could get off another round of bullets, running straight out into the street. His stride was broken as something big slammed into the concrete just before him. Apparently, the blue robot from his apartment had decided to rejoin the fight.

Meanwhile, Sonia hustled her two charges out of the alley while her brother kept the robots at bay. Unfortunately her egress was soon blocked by the green robot. The three children backed up a step as the machine aimed its weapon, the loud sound of a missile being loaded into its launch tube sticking sharp in their ears.

But it didn't fire. No missile explosion came to blast the hedgehogs to pieces. The robot merely stood there, blocking their path. A side glance to her left at Tails and Sonia remembered what the blue robot had said before.

_'They may be trying to kill me and my brothers, but their first priority is catching Tails. And they won't risk killing him,'_ she realized. Quickly she pulled the fox cub closer, settling him between herself and Manic. There would be no way the strange robot could use his weapon without taking out the fox too. Perhaps not the most noble strategy, but as far as Sonia was concerned, anything that kept them all alive was a welcome strategy.

The robot seemed to sense its own limitations as well, keeping its missile launcher pointed at them but unwilling to fire. It took a step forward, its unarmed hand reaching out to grab Tails. Sonia and Manic backed away, keeping their friend out of the machine's reach. This vexed the hunter somewhat, as it was not programmed to handle this contingency. Usually its prey tended to toss its target away and try to make an ill-advised run. This was not going as planned.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the nondescript black van, Snively was beginning to lose patience. Since he could only directly control Alpha, Beta and Delta were essentially running on their own programming, programming that was better suited to hunting guerrillas in an actual jungle rather than a few measly kids in an urban one. And while he was fairly certain it would be child's play to use Alpha to force the fox away from the pink and green hedgehogs, the Sonic would quickly overwhelm the human's more autonomous help with his fantastic speed.

_'Where in the world did this thing come from?'_ the angry Snively asked himself. '_Something this fast should not have been able to escape someone's notice for this long.'_

"Sir, we have a problem," the driver said, breaking the smaller man's concentration. "The police are being called into the area. Seems our little firefight has gotten noticed."

"Blasted police. Can't they learn to mind their own business," Snively bit back. This was not good. They were now officially out of time. The Doctor would burst a vessel if Snively's Egg-Hunters were spotted openly attacking a group of civilians in Central City proper, and then he'd burst several of Snively's.

_ 'I have to move this to a new location. Get the hedge-rats to run,'_ he realized. Closing his eyes, Snively began to make his commands.

* * *

Outside the van, Beta began to receive an update to its orders, the result of which was that it ceased pointing its missile launcher at the three children. Sonia, realizing an opening when she saw it, rushed forward, giving the robot a wide berth to avoid its grasping claws.

"Sonic, we can get out of here!" she yelled to her brother, hoping he wasn't too busy avoiding the other two attackers. From where he stood between Alpha and Delta, Sonic nodded.

_'Time to ditch these turkeys,' _he thought.

"All right guys, time to go for a spin," Sonic declared, hoping the declaration sounded less corny than he thought. Winding his arms around his body, the blue hedgehog began to twirl in place, spinning faster and faster as the air moved around him, creating a cyclone. Though the wind wasn't strong enough to pick up the robot attackers, the trash and debris that littered the street were fair game. Cans, bags, rocks, and other objects began to smack into the Egg-Hunters, interfering with their targeting systems. Mortar that had been loosened by years of neglect soon joined the storm, and the robots were forced to raise their arms to protect their fragile optics. But the distraction did not last long as their internal mechanisms began to adjust to the winds, reinterpreting the situation as being caught in a windstorm. Just as Alpha regained the ability to see though the storm, Sonic ceased his spinning, dropping back to the ground and taking off like a shot. For a brief moment, the blue robot seemed ready to shoot his quarry in the back as Sonic stopped just long enough to grab hold of his family, but it hesitated. The sound of sirens was rising in the night, and a quick check of city traffic showed the police would be here soon. It was time to go. Rockets flared to life as the trio rose into the air. Nearby, the van quietly began to move out as well.

* * *

"Are you going to recall the Hunters?" the G.U.N. soldier said as he drove carefully, trying to avoid any sort of suspicion. It was amazing how, in a night involving three Technicolor robots and a super-fast hedgehog, a black van would stand out the most in people's memories. Already some of the more courageous apartment dwellers were beginning to come out of their homes to investigate the disturbance, seeing the silence as signaling some degree of safety.

"What good would that do?" Snively bit back, typing furiously at his laptop. On the screen visual data from the Egg-Hunters was being displayed as they tracked Sonic racing through the streets and alleys. The height of the buildings and the narrowness of the streets combined to make it difficult for maintaining visual contact, but all three were now in pursuit mode and had fanned out to obtain different angles. They would not lose contact with the fox and his friends.

"You're not planning to continue this fight through the city, are you?" the driver asked, a touch of worry in his voice. "You could level half of Central." Snively growled at the man, tired of listening to his voice but unable to shut him up at this time.

"That would hardly be helpful in keeping this from becoming a public spectacle. But sooner or later the hedgehog will have to stop and rest. And when he does, we'll be able to press the attack again." Sure enough it was becoming apparent that Sonic had a destination in mind, someplace he thought he'd be safe. What worried the Cyberon CEO was that he seemed to be headed for the more upscale sections of Central.

_'Could the Sergeant's theory be right?'_ he thought. _'Is it possible this… this Olgilvie is on someone's payroll? A specially trained agent?'_ Immediately Snively's mind ran though a list of everyone who would have reason to interfere in Cyberon's affairs and might decide to hire a Mobian to do so. It wasn't a very long list, precisely because no one was supposed to know of C2's existence. Even their government contacts had only been told so much, and most of that related to Shadow. _'I must get to the bottom of this. Somewhere, somehow, we've made a misstep, and now we're paying for it.' _

Back on the computer screen, the robots continued to track their quarry.

* * *

Someone was knocking on Amy's door. Correction, someone was _urgently_ knocking on Amy's door. That alone was enough to make the nurse nervous. It was past midnight after all, time any decent person would be asleep and, though her neighborhood was quite safe, she wasn't so naïve as to believe crime was nonexistent. Wrapping herself in a robe, Amy walked to the door, grabbing hold of a baseball bat Manic had left with her once. Quietly she took a look through the peephole.

And promptly pulled the door open when she saw who it was.

"Sonic what happened to you?" she asked as the blue hedgehog stumbled into her home, his entire household in tow.

"Something happened," he answered before pushing her away from the door and closing it, his own emerald eye going to the peephole so he could look back out into the street.

"Clearly," Amy responded, noticing the rips in her blue beau's clothing.

"We got attacked by robots," Manic explained. For a brief moment Amy thought the cub's imagination had run away with him, but when neither Sonia nor Sonic chose to correct him, she couldn't help but worry.

"Someone sent a pack of robots to attack us," Sonic finally elaborated, breathing hard from his long run over. "The things destroyed our apartment and we only barely got away."

"Why would robots…" Amy started to ask before noticing Sonic was looking at the newest addition to their group. Tails was casting worried eyes out the window, his cloak pulled up over his head as he kept away from the lights. Sonic walked over to the fox.

"You see anything?" he asked, getting a shaking of the head as an answer.

"Maybe we lost them," Manic suggested, collapsing into a sitting position on the floor, tired from being so rudely awoken. At his friend's suggestion, Tails's head again shook. Sonic continued to look at him.

"You knew they were gonna attack. You saved Sonia's life by waking her up. How?"

"I-I don't know," the fox admitted. Sonic's brow furrowed, a sign Tails took for anger. "I'm telling the truth," he pleaded. "I-I just had this feeling. It was the same one I had at that mall-place before that red guy attacked."

"Yeah I remember that," Sonic responded.

"Sonic, this is getting a little over our heads," Amy pointed out. "It's one thing to help a little kid get home, heck even ignoring someone trying to kill him. Maybe it's time we got some help."

"Who Amy? Those robots weren't just trying to catch the kid, they were gonna kill me and my sibs. We were targets." A sudden realization dawned on the blue sprinter. "Oh hell, you probably have a bullseye on you too. And anyone else this kid's come in contact with." Tails looked away, ashamed at that notion.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I-I didn't mean to get you all into this mess."

"What we need is some protection," Manic surmised. Then his eyes brightened. "Trevor."

"What?" Sonic asked, in no mood to hear the rat's name, but still feeling guilty for earlier.

"Trevor can help us. He's always saying how he has contacts everywhere. I bet he can find us a place to hide," the boy suggested. Immediately all three hedgehogs began shaking their heads while the fox simply pulled his hood tighter over his head.

"No. We're not trusting our lives to that rat," Sonic said.

"Trevor's a good guy Sonic, he looks after people, just like you," Manic defended his friend.

"The guy's a crook Manic. He'd sell his own mother down the river if he thought he'd get a buck out of it. We can't trust him."

"Mighty's a crook, but you trust him," Manic bit back. "And-and you've stolen stuff before, but we're supposed to trust you."

"That's different…"

"How? How is it different?" the youth demanded. "Because Mighty's your friend? Because you're my brother? Well Trevor's my friend, and I trust him."

"And where's that gotten you?" Sonic pointed out. "Trevor's bad news, and telling him about this tops the list for bad ideas."

"Arguing is getting us nowhere," Sonia interrupted, hoping to stop the fight before it could start in force. "If those robots really are still on our trail, then the odds are fairly good they'll figure out we're here with enough time. We need to think of something."

"What… What about that doctor?" Tails asked, trying to be helpful. "The one you took me to the other day? You guys were saying how he's supposed to be helpful."

"Dr. Kintobor?" Amy asked, just a tad reluctantly. But at this point what choice did they have? "If anyone could help us, he would be able to. But I really don't want to involve him in this."

"He may already be involved," Sonic said. "If these guys tracked Tails to us, it's a safe bet they're also watching for any inquiries on 'Miles Prower.'" Amy gasped at that. "I say we risk it. Even if he can't help us, we can at least warn him about what's going on." Amy nodded her head.

"Fine then. We should take my car then."

"I can get there fast…"

"But those robots will be looking for you," the pink hedgehog pointed out. "Better to do it my way." With that, she led the quartet to her garage.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the fugitives, they were being watched by three sets of electronic eyes. Back in the van, Snively watched as the information from the Egg-Hunters was relayed to his laptop screen, his eyes narrowing. Quickly he re-opened the screen to the citizen's registry, entering in the address for the building the fox had entered.

"Amanda Michelle Rose. Age: twenty. Species: Hedgehog. Occupation: Nurse Receptionist… at the Kintobor Clinic."

"Aren't you going to attack, sir?" the Lieutenant asked as he watched a garage door begin to open. Soon a small, powder blue car backed out and began to leave. "It would appear our quarry is getting away."

"This is too much to be a coincidence," the little man said. "Follow them. I want to see where they're taking my fox." Quietly the van pulled forward as from the roof-tops the three hunters continued their own pursuit.

* * *

It took about thirty minutes for Amy to navigate through the streets of Central to the home of Dr. Kintobor, thanks in no small part to the absence of competing traffic. The kindly doctor might have sunk a fortune into his free clinics, but that by no means had left him a pauper, as evidenced by the mansion the man lived in.

_'One of the perks of not having to quit school to take care of a couple rugrats,'_ Sonic thought as he stared up at the large domicile. It seemed just a touch unfair that a man living alone had so much space while he and his siblings were relegated to a small apartment with only three rooms. _'Or rather were, considering the place is a smoldering pile of rubble.'_ Sufficiently depressed now, Sonic sighed as Amy pulled her car up to the gate, rolling down the window to enter the code her employer had provided her for when she had to drop off files to his home. Soon they were at the door, and Amy was pushing the bell to let the Doctor know someone wanted him.

"Who the blazes could be here at this hour?"a voice grumbled after a few long moments. Sonic and Amy looked at one another, silently hoping Kintobor wouldn't be too angry at this late night intrusion. The sound of a lock being undone was heard as the door began to open, revealing a disheveled looking Dr. Kintobor wearing a pair of slippers and a bathrobe. "I swear if this is a sales pitch, I'll surgically remove your tongue and attach it to your… Amy?" The human looked quite startled to see the pink hedgehog standing before him, a look that grew into concern as he noticed how many Mobians she'd brought with her. "Has something happened?" he asked, an eyebrow rising as he watched Tails glance nervously over his shoulder.

"Hate to sound pushy Doc, but it's not really a good idea for us to be out here too long," Sonic said as he semi-forced his way past the doctor and into the house. The azure hedgehog cast a suspicious look back onto the street as he quietly closed the door.

"Sorry about this," Amy apologized for her boyfriend. Kintobor nodded, directing the Mobians deeper into his home. Soon they were all sitting on his couch, with the master of the house taking a large armchair, as Sonic related the events of the evening. Quietly the doctor listened as the hedgehog spoke, his bald brow furrowing as he listened to the description of the robots that had attacked them.

"And then we decided to come here, at the very least to warn you about this since you know about Tails too," Sonic concluded, a touch lamely considering that, were the doctor not already involved before, he was certainly in it up to his neck harboring them in his house. Kintobor remained silent as he mulled over the information given.

"Unbelievable," he finally whispered in a dark tone.

"I know it sounds far-fetched," Sonia pleaded, "but we're telling the truth." The mustached man held up his hand quickly.

"No, no, I believe you. You certainly have no reason to lie. What I find unbelievable is that someone would make so brash a move as to use Egg Hunters within the city limits. Such an action smacks of desperation."

"Egg Hunters?" Sonic asked.

"The robots that attacked you," the Doctor explained. "Military search and destroy combat troops. Which almost certainly indicates the involvement of the Guardian Units of the Nation." Kintobor's eyes fell upon Tails. "You certainly are important to someone, my little friend." Though his voice was gentle, the human's words made the cub cringe as he considered just how badly this boded for his friends' chances of survival, not to mention him getting home.

"Great, so we got the army on our tails," Manic declared. "Man I knew humans were nothing but trouble." As he noticed the rather nasty looks Sonic and Amy were giving him, and then remembered just whose home he was in, Manic blushed suddenly. "Uh, sorry about that Doc, I didn't mean you."

"It is unlikely we are facing the entirety of G.U.N.," Kintobor continued, ignoring the green hedgehog's comment. "More than likely this is simply the work of a faction within G.U.N., or possibly an outside interest with connections to the military. Without further evidence, though, it would be impossible to prove such a connection. Evidence we will not be able to get if you are all apprehended."

"So then what do we do?" Sonic asked, glad to finally have someone on their side who could make a good plan for them.

"Well, for tonight, I suggest you get some rest here. My home is as safe as any place else, and it seems unlikely your searchers would press their luck by starting a conflict in this section of the city. And tomorrow, we're going to see a friend of mine in G.U.N. Command, a Major Sanders."

"Is that a wise move?" Amy asked. "I mean, if there really is a faction in the military that's after us, how can we know who to trust there?"

"We cannot hope to uncover this conspiracy without some aid. Besides, I've known Sanders for a very long time. He may be an unpleasant pig-head and a bit of a martinet, but I would sooner believe you lot were a part of this conspiracy than him. He will help us if anyone will." Kintobor rose from his seat. "Now then, I believe I have two guest rooms you can use to rest in. Amy, you know your way around my home, if you would guide Tails and Manic to one and let yourself and Sonia in the other." Amy nodded, ushering the children out of the room as Sonic stayed behind. The omission of his name had not been lost on the hedgehog. Once everyone else was gone, Sonic turned towards the Doctor.

"So, what's up?"

"I was going to talk to you about this tomorrow but, given the situation…" Kintobor walked over to a small bar in the living room and proceeded to pour himself a glass of an amber colored liquid. Quietly he offered one to the blue Mobian to help calm his nerves.

"No, I… I kinda overdid it on that tonight already." Kintobor nodded and recapped the bottle and retook his seat.

"Do you remember the blood I took from young Miles earlier today?" the human asked.

"Yeah, you said you were gonna run some more tests on it," Sonic recalled.

"Ah, good, so I am not losing my mind."

"What happened?"

"It occurred some hours after the three of you left. Obviously I did not have the luxury of dropping everything I was doing for the day, so I left the samples I took in storage. But, when I returned, they were gone."

"Someone stole them?"

"Not unless someone took the trouble to replicate the containers all the way down to their labels, and that presupposing they had access to my lab," Kintobor pointed out. "And I don't mean that the blood was simply vanished. I mean it looks as though it had been reduced to, well, ash." Sonic looked at the human quizzically. "You can see why I thought that strange."

"Yeah, I'm guessing Mobian blood, ANY blood doesn't do that."

"Not without being subjected to conditions that would not have been found in my cabinet," the doctor responded. "Sonic, under the circumstances, I think I would be remiss if I didn't advise you of the folly of continuing to pursue this situation."

"You mean you think I should drop this?" Kintobor nodded his head. "But I promised Tails I'd help him get home."

"And were it so simple a task as that, I would see no problem with it. If it were so simple as a kidnapping, there wouldn't be as much concern. But you and your family have just been attacked by killer robots, your apartment destroyed, and yourselves forced to flee here. All because of that cub." The hedgehog opened his mouth again, ready to defend his decision, but was interrupted. "I'm not saying to simply abandon him. I'll be more than happy to see him get home myself. I'm just saying that you have your own problems, problems that will only become compounded if you continue to pursue this." Sonic's head bowed as he considered this. "I hate to play this card, m'boy, but you have always put the welfare of your family ahead of all else. I would hate to see Manic or Sonia injured simply because you felt bound to protect a strange cub you found on the streets."

"He's all alone," Sonic pointed out. "You should have seen him when we found him. He was so scared and alone, he barely mustered the courage to talk to us. Something bad happened to him, something very bad."

"You sympathize with him. I understand, I do as well. But there is a limit to what one little hedgehog can do in this situation." Kintobor once more rose from his chair. "Well, there is no need to rush to a decision, especially after everything that has happened tonight. I merely request you consider my counsel. Now, if you will follow me, I'll take you to your room."

* * *

"Manic, please quit fidgeting and stay under the covers," Amy said as for the fourth time she tucked the green hedgehog in. "It's been a harrowing night, and we need to get some rest if we're going to be up early in the morning.

"I can't get comfortable," he complained as he squirmed. "This mattress is too soft." Amy huffed a little, her patience beginning to wear thin. Even Tails seemed unwilling to behave, kicking up a huge fuss when the pink hedgehog had tried to remove his cloak. Even now small hands were reaching under the covers to steal the garment from the nightstand.

"Tails," she hissed, causing the cub to snap his arm back under the covers, though he still had a forlorn look on his face. Suddenly Manic again moved, once more wiggling free of the covers.

"Who's this?" he asked, grabbing hold of a picture frame sitting on the nightstand next to him. Huffing in frustration as she rolled her eyes, Amy grabbed hold of the frame and looked at the picture it held. A Mobian baboon looked out from behind the grass, his mouth curled up in a conservative smile that made sure to hide all of his teeth. The creature was wearing a rather impressive looking blue blazer with a silver "D" emblazoned on it.

"Hmm, I guess this must be Olivander," she answered, placing the picture back on the nightstand, and out of Manic's range.

"Olivander?" Tails asked, his eyes questioning.

"An old friend of Dr. Kintobor's," the pink hedgehog replied.

"I've never heard of him," Manic pointed out, obviously angling to keep himself from being put to bed so soon. Amy was just about to respond that there was no law that forced the human to disclose everything about himself to an eleven year old when she was pre-empted.

"I'm afraid Olivander is no longer with us. He… died some years ago," Dr. Kintobor said from where he stood in the door, subconsciously rubbing the shoulder of his missing arm. Sonic stood at his side. Immediately Manic shrank down under the covers, unwilling to get yelled at again by his older brother. He'd already pushed his luck with the fight over Trevor earlier. Kintobor shook his head, his red whiskers bouncing around wildly as he did so. "Now is not the time for reminiscing, however. I trust the room is comfortable."

"Its fine," Manic answered quickly.

"Excellent," the human said, yawning after he did so. "Oh my. Well, if you'll excuse me, I think it is time I turn in again. Goodnight to you all." After he'd left, Sonic walked over and crawled into the bed next to Tails, with Manic at the other end. Amy came over and began to tuck him in as well.

"Ah, Ames, I'm a bit too old for tuck in time," he pointed out.

"Shush. After the night you've had you deserve a little pampering and fussing over," his girlfriend explained. Satisfied that all three were as comfortable as she could make them, Amy said her own goodnights and turned out the light before leaving for her and Sonia's room.

* * *

"You're sure this is the same one?" A gruff voice asked as he held up a picture of Tails getting out of a dumpster.

"Yes sir. I saw him as clearly as I'm seeing you right now," answered a smoother one. The room was silent with quiet thought.

"I can't say I'm pleased by this. Trust is supposed ta be a two-way street," the gruff voice explained.

"I don't think he knows what he has here, boss," the smooth one replied.

"Then why's he being so secretive, huh?" a third voice snidely pointed out. A low growl was heard.

"There's no need ta be snotty," the gruff voice chided patiently. "But this is a problem. You know he won't make this easy for us."

"He'll try to do what he thinks is the right thing," a quiet voice concluded, "that doesn't necessarily mean he'll make it difficult."

"Not everyone's motivated by money," the smooth voice countered.

"No, but there are two other levers we can pull," the quiet one pointed out. There was the sound of a scuffle and then a body being slammed against the wall.

"Don't even think I'll tolerate you trying that," the smooth voice growled.

"Calm down," commanded the gruff voice.

"I'm going on record as saying I'm against this," explained the smooth one.

"Big surprise, we all know you're a softy," the snide voice countered.

"I told you ta shush," the gruff voice said, a touch more forcefully than before.

"I don't think its good business to be handing little kids over to humans," the smooth voice continued, as though the previous altercation meant nothing. "What are we, lapdogs now?"

"You're lucky I like you kid, you really are," the gruff voice warned. "I wouldn't take that kinda lip from just anyone." There was a pause. "I haven't actually decided what we're gonna do with the kid. All I know is he's valuable, and currently two people have used violence ta express an interest in getting him." Another pause. "Ya know; this could actually be considered doing the guy a favor."

"How?"

"Think about it. As long as the kid's with your little blue friend, he's got a potential target painted on his back. How long do you think he'll survive against any kinda effort ta grab the kid?"

"He's much tougher than he looks, boss."

"I know that, I've seen him in action. But you saw how easy that red guy snatched the fox up. It seems ta me he'd be safer if this burden were transferred to someone with the resources to hold onta the brat till somethin' can be done with him." Pause. "It ain't like I wanna hurt the guy. Heck, I like him 'bout as much as I like you, and that's sayin' somethin'. But I'm not exactly runnin' a charity 'round here. We got expenses to meet and a business ta run, and the longer everybody's lookin' for some rugrat, the better chance someone's gonna stumble upon one of our, uh, enterprises."

"So what do we do now?" the quiet one asked.

"We do this the easy way. Present our case, see if we can't persuade him to our point of view. "

"And if that doesn't work?" the smooth voice asked, an edge to his voice.

"Then you may need to find a new…" the snide voice began, only to fall into a muffled voice as a hand clamped its mouth shut.

"Then we cross that bridge when we come to it," answered the gruff voice.

* * *

"Sir, it's starting to get light out," the G.U.N. Sergeant said to his superior. "I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't point out our 'equipment' will be quite visible in daylight unless we do something."

"Your 'job,' Sergeant, is to be my glorified chauffeur; nothing more," the irritated businessman bit back. Puce eyes squinted at the manor they were parked near, the very same place the band of hedgehogs had taken refuge. It had been no surprise to find that, after entering the address into his computer, the home belonged to Dr. Kintobor himself, though that made the information no less troubling.

'_Could it be that this _veterinarian_ has somehow gained knowledge of my uncle's plans,'_ he thought to himself, rubbing his nonexistent chin. Outside the van, the Egg-Hunters had taken up positions around the block, though none had breached the perimeter of the fence surrounding the manor. _'Robotnik told me to leave Kintobor out of this, but if he's really an enemy, I can't allow C2 to remain in his possession. If he and this "Sonic" Hedgehog have indeed been working together to thwart our plans… Things could get very complicated if I don't act quickly.'_

"Sergeant, take the van and park it somewhere inconspicuous. I do not want to be seen."

"Sir?"

"Questions are quite over-rated, as is curiosity. You would do well to avoid both and simply obey orders." Again Snively's attention returned to his laptop as the van made its way through the early morning neighborhood.

* * *

Sonic couldn't sleep. It wasn't simply that he wasn't used to sleeping in an actual bed. A sense of worry kept him awake.

'_What am I gonna do now?'_ the hedgehog thought, looking back at Manic as the younger Mobian dozed. They were homeless, that much was fact. Even if he could find another apartment they could afford, and that would be a feat in and of itself, finding out their last place had been destroyed would probably nix their chances of getting in. Sonic could have handled being jobless, at least for a while, but now things were different.

For what had to be the billionth time in his life, he wondered if this had all been a mistake. When Green Hill had been destroyed, when his parents had died, he'd had the option of going into government care. There'd been lots of talk of foster homes and orphanages where he and his siblings could be taken care of, would have been able to continue their childhood, maybe even found new parents through adoption. But Sonic had been so dead-set against being separated from Sonia and Manic. The blue teen had rationalized this, stating that the last thing the two of them needed so soon after losing their Mom and Dad was to lose their big brother, but really he'd been the one who didn't want to lose them. And so, in all the chaos that had been trying to make sense of what had happened at Green Hill, three hedgehog cubs had just disappeared.

No one had come after them, not surprising considering everything that was going on, and Sonic had been able to collect some starting out money. It had been tough going, mistakes had been made, but they'd survived, and they'd done it together. But everything was gone, everything they'd worked for over the past few years.

'_And all because I brought home a stray fox that needed my help,'_ Sonic thought as he looked at said cub. Unbidden, Kintobor's words came back to the youth. Had he bitten off more than he could chew? _'I promised him I'd help him get home, but does that mean I'm supposed to just ignore all the trouble he's bringing to me and my family and friends?'_ The Doctor's offer to take over responsibility for the kidnapped kit was starting to sound better.

Unwilling to lie back down in bed and just fidget until it was time to get up, Sonic moved over to the bedroom window, resting his elbows on the windowsill as he looked out at the dawning sun. A single ear twitched as he gave a distraught sigh.

_'It's not fair. I shouldn't have to be doing this,'_ he thought to himself. '_I should be getting to enjoy life, running around with my friends, partying, maybe even getting to go to college. Not wondering where me and a pair of kids are gonna live.'_ As the hedgehog indulged in his self-pity, something caught his eye. It appeared to be a black van slowly making its way away from Dr. Kintobor's house. '_What's an ugly car like that doing in a swanky neighborhood like this?'_ Busy pondering this enigma, Sonic failed to notice the red dot that was slowly traveling towards his head…

To be Continued…


	8. Sonic Underground

Author's Note: Okay, since it took so long to get this chapter up, I'm gonna keep this short and sweet. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, especially those who I wasn't able to respond to. Sorry, but it's been a hectic year for me so far. Still this chapter should be interesting, and nicely long too, so it should be worth the wait. Catch ya all next time.

Chapter 7: Sonic Underground

* * *

Kendal Andrews looked at the camera, a grim expression on his face as behind the camera the studio staff worked to get the teleprompter ready. Nearby, someone prepared to interrupt the current program, a broadcasting of the movie "Blue Magnolia." Off to the side, the station manager signaled that they were ready to cut in. Soon the familiar beeping sound that always preceded an important news break cut in across the airwaves.

"Good morning Central City. This is Kendal Andrews with an important news break." To the right of the human's head a small screen appeared with the words "Terror in Central City." "At approximately five-thirty a.m. eastern standard time, an explosion was reported in the Twilight Gardens district of the city. Police and firemen were quick to respond, rushing to the home of noted philanthropist Dr. Ovi Kintobor." A picture of the doctor appeared on the smaller screen. "While the resultant blaze was quickly contained so as not to spread to other houses in the neighborhood, the mansion itself was quickly consumed." The camera angle switched and Kendal turned to continue. "While preliminary reports seemed to indicate this to be an accident, further inquiry has revealed a darker side to this tragic disaster. For more on this story, we go now to Trisha Chapmen who is on the scene. Trisha?"

The scene changed to show a raven-haired woman standing with her back to the still burning remnants of a large building, a serious look on her face. She wore a light blue blouse with ruffles at the neckline that looked quite good and her hair was immaculate, but there were still tell-tale signs that she had been woken up far earlier than she was used to. A second or two after being given her cue by her co-worker, Ms. Chapman nodded her head and began.

"Only one short hour ago, this neighborhood slept peacefully, resting after a busy yesterday before preparing to deal with a busy today. But that sleep was interrupted as a loud explosion shook the very ground upon which their homes stood. Immediately neighbors raced outside, just in time to see the home of one of their own, Dr. Ovi Kintobor, erupt in fire. Called at once, authorities quickly arrived on the scene, battling the blaze so that it could not spread to the rest of the neighborhood. But the question remains, 'How could this have happened?'" A belch of flame rises from the burning home, prompting several fire fighters to hose the area down. "Accidental fires have consumed homes for generations, but eyewitnesses tell a different story." The camera showed another woman, fairly young and wearing a pink designer bathrobe with her hair in curlers.

"I tell you it's not possible for this to have been an accident," she said into the microphone that had been thrust before her. "Every home here is given a yearly inspection; electrical systems, plumbing, structure, everything. It's part of the homeowner's association's contract. If your house doesn't pass inspection, you have one week to get it up to code or face stiff penalties. I know for a fact Dr. Kintobor is religious when it comes to making sure his home is up to snuff. I'd sooner believe a fallen comet caused this than some sort of electrical mishap." The camera returned to Trisha.

"But then the question remains, if this was not an accident, what then caused this tragedy to occur?"

"I'll tell you what it was," called a woman standing with her husband, holding a little dog that looked rather like a stringy mop. The woman ran up to the camera, grabbing hold of the microphone from the rather surprised Ms. Chapman. "It was a group of Mobians."

"Mobians?"

"Yes, Roderick and I saw it with our own eyes. A group of hedgehogs drove up to his home, just as if they owned the place. They must have been the ones who started the fire."

"It's not surprising, why else would filthy animals like those have been here but to cause trouble," the husband, Roderick, confirmed. "Dr. Kintobor should have known better than to invite such creatures to this neighborhood. Meredith and I have been quite tolerant of his insane activities, but this…"

"But Dr. Kintobor has always been a champion of Mobian rights," Trisha pointed out. " He's been providing them with free medical treatments for years, supporting their causes and everything. Why would they want to cause him harm?"

"Why do animals ever turn on humans? They're vicious beasts, not at all to be trusted," Meredith said, kissing the little dog she held in her arms. "If you ask me, they just saw some easy money and decided to go for it…"

* * *

"Sonic! Where are you?" Tails yelled as all around him the room did burn. Nearby Manic was having trouble breathing, the foul smoke choking his lungs as the young hedgehog drew in quick, frightened breaths. Dark memories of another fire played themselves out in the emerald hedgehog's mind, and he was finding it difficult to move about. Noticing all the cinders floating around in the air, Tails quickly moved back to his friend, draping his thick cloak over the other boy's body to protect him. "Manic, we need to go. We need to find Sonic," the fox told his friend, trying to get him to move. The last thing they needed was to be roasted alive.

Manic coughed a bit before looking up at Tails, nodding as he did so. Tails leading, the two boys made their escape, walking together through the shattered bedroom door and back into the hallway. The young fox had no idea where the blue hedgehog was, but that wasn't about to stop him.

Everything had happened so fast. One moment he and Manic had been sleeping peacefully in bed, the next an explosion sent that same bed slamming into a wall. Neither of them had been hurt but they'd crawled out of the sheets to discover their bedroom on fire, and their guardian gone.

_ 'It's the robots again, it has to be,'_ Tails thought, guilt working its way into his mind. On his chest, the jewel in his clasp glowed a bit as the duo worked their way around to the stairs. They needed to get to the ground floor and out of the house.

Suddenly a wall exploded as none other than the blue hedgehog himself came flying into the hall, followed closely by E-101 Alpha. Twisting his body in the air, Sonic hit the wall with a crouch, bouncing off to attack the robot again. Alpha raised its hand to block the attack, though the force of the hedgehog's strike was enough to knock it back through the hole it had come. Sonic dodged as the gun arm swung in an attempt to club him, and it was at that moment Tails noticed the machine had taken some damaged. The gun sparked and whined as it moved, its ammo compartment jammed closed and its barrel severely bent inward. Nor was this the robot's only damage as its legs seemed to have trouble supporting its weight.

"You two, get out of here, now!" Sonic yelled as he spotted the two children, ducking another robotic swipe.

"What about you?" Manic asked, worried for his brother's safety. A pair of red lights, Alpha's eyes, sudden swiveled around as it focused in on the two boys. With a lurch the robot took a step forward, only to fall as Sonic took advantage of its weakened legs by tripping it up with his own.

"Just go!" he ordered as the machine began to struggle back to its feet. Tails pulled Manic along as they headed away from the battle. Soon they made it to the stairway, avoiding the blazing fires as they sprung up around them. Manic kept casting glances behind him, obviously wanting to go back and help his brother, but Tails was apparently stronger than he looked, easily tugging the hedgehoglet down the stairs.

The first floor looked just as bad as the second. The fabrics of furniture and carpeting burned gloriously, acrid black smoke rising from the flames and choking the two boys' lungs. The sound of straining wood warned them they were not alone as, from the kitchen, the green robot entered, its bulky body crashing through the doorframe as it did so.

"T-T-T-Target… Ac-Ac-Ac-Acquired," it stammered out between jerking movements, sparks of electricity rising from its various joints. "Term-Term-Terminate!" The missile launcher and its arms seemed to be working fine, though, as both aimed at the hedgehog hog and fox, firing a small explosive. Jumping hard, Tails was able to pull himself and Manic out of the way as the missile struck, adding to the flame. Beta's dome-shaped head tried to swivel around to glare at the two boys, but several attempts proved this to be difficult. Giving up, the dome swiveled about in the other direction, rotating completely twice before stopping to rest on the children. Again the Egg-Hunter took aim with its weapon.

"No you don't," declared Amy as the pink hedgehog leapt at the mechanical assassin. The nurse was holding in her hands a gigantic pink mallet with what looked like a heart carved into its face, with several others decorating its head and handle. It actually put Tails in mind of one of those toy hammers that squeaked when it struck something. This one proved itself to be a true weapon as, in Amy's hands, it slammed down upon Beta's readied launcher and crushed it, setting off the mini-missile that had been inside. While Ms. Rose was thrown back a bit by the force of the explosion, her hammer seemed to absorb the bulk of the energy, smacking into a wall and leaving a rather big hole.

Disarmed but not defeated, Beta attempted to continue its attack, reaching forward with its intact hand to try to make a hostage of either Manic or Tails. Again the hammer came, striking the robot's armored chest and visibly denting the metal inward as Beta was forced backward. Once more its head moved as its program tried to understand what was attacking it so the machine could defend itself. Retreat was never an option for an Egg-Hunter. The green android managed to lock onto Amy Rose just in time to see the female hedgehog leaping into the air, hammer raised above her head. With a loud bang the weapon slammed into Beta's dome, driving the robot's CPU down into its chest.

Beta collapsed with a crash, its damaged shell falling over to its side as it lay still before its pink destroyer.

"Most impressive Nurse Rose," Dr. Kintobor applauded. The human was standing in the ruined doorway, Sonia's still form cradled in his arm. "Should we survive this, I must remember to examine that hammer."

"Sonia!" Manic called as he spotted his sister's prone form. "What happened to her?"

"She's alright," the doctor assured him. Manic looked as though he didn't believe the human, moving around to get a look at Sonia's face. The girl's eyes were open, but they had a vacant look to them, as though she was seeing everything but not seeing anything at all. "I'm afraid the fire may be having a psychological effect on her." At this the green hedgehog nodded, understanding at least in part. The conversation over, the group began to move for the exit.

"Where's Sonic?" Amy asked, taking the lead as she used her hammer to clear away some of the flaming debris that blocked their path.

"He was dealing with one of the other robots," Tails supplied. "The red one."

"That leaves the orange one with the machine gun," Manic pointed out, causing both Amy and Kintobor to look worriedly at him.

"That certainly does not bode well," the human said, somewhat nervous. The sound of another explosion was heard, and for a brief moment the house shook, flaming bits of ceiling fall around them. "This house will not be standing for much longer. We have to leave." Handing Sonia over to Amy, the doctor strode purposefully up to the fiery door that blocked their exit. With a sharp kick the weakened door was sent off its hinges and into the lawn.

This proved to be Dr. Kintobor's final act as several dozen bullets slammed into his chest with enough force to throw him back past his Mobian friends.

Once the fire had started, E-103 Delta's orders had changed from "pursuit" to "contain." It had been set forth to watch the perimeter, waiting for the targets, battered and bruised by its counterparts, to leave the building, where presumably even Sonic would be easy pickings. When it had detected movement at the front entryway, Delta had moved in, its weapon leveled and ready. The Egg-Hunter had purposefully aimed high so as to avoid the primary target, Tails. It had not been expecting Dr. Kintobor to be the one opening the door. And, as the human fell backwards into his burning home, it didn't really see the need to care.

"Ovi!" Amy yelled as she saw her friend fall, rushing to him with Manic and Tails. The doctor hadn't stood a chance. Even without opening the man's shirt, Amy could tell the bullets had hit several major organs, and no doubt caused catastrophic internal damage. Manic looked at the older female worriedly as she shook her head.

"Surrender," commanded Delta, aiming his weapon lower this time. Amy moved with a speed she never knew she had, jumping between the children and the robot just as Delta began to fire. Quickly she pulled the hammer up before her. The head of the weapon seemed to have enlarged, allowing it to act as a makeshift shield.

_'This is bad,'_ Amy thought as she gripped the handle. _'If I don't do something, this thing will just keep us pinned down until the house collapses on us.'_ Rose-colored eyes cast about, looking for some avenue to escape.

"Banzai!" yelled a familiar voice as the tinkling sound of shattering glass rang through the night. The Egg-Hunter looked up as Sonic landed on its shoulders, a metal rod in his hands that he managed to jam into the robot's optic lens. Fast reflexes allowed Sonic to let go of the weapon as a bolt of electric energy erupted from the robot. Wildly Delta swiped at Sonic, trying to knock him off. The blue hedgehog jumped out of the way as the metal arm made contact with the rod. The damaged robot began to shake violently as its own electric current ran rampant through its metallic body. Sonic ducked behind Amy's hammer as Delta finally exploded, shards of metal flying everywhere.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked once the coast was clear, his eyes glancing back to Sonia.

"Kintobor's dead," Amy sadly informed him. "And I think Sonia is suffering some sort of flashback." Sonic shook his head.

"Damn," the blue hedgehog said as he moved over to the fallen human. Knowing there was nothing he could do for his friend, Sonic turned his attention to his sister. Sonia was shaking, but other than that she seemed fine. Carefully he lifted her up. Off in the distance the sound of sirens could be heard coming closer. "We gotta go."

"What?" Amy asked. "But we didn't do anything. If we stay and talk to the cops…"

"We'll still be held as suspects, at least until they can prove we didn't do anything. But by then we could all very well be killed by whoever's after Tails," Sonic pointed out. "We need to go." Amy thought about this for a moment, and then nodded her head. Even if none of the police they encountered here were a part of this conspiracy, that didn't mean someone wouldn't be alerted. In fact, the odds were significantly high that would be the scenario that would happen.

"You're right. We need to get to the car." Quickly Amy ran to the garage, swinging her hammer at the door to throw it off its hinges.

"Geeze, where did you get that thing?" Sonic asked; looking at the large instrument of destruction his girlfriend wielded so easily.

"I…" Amy began, before a sudden confused look crossed her face. "I don't know." She looked at the hammer she held, as though seeing it for the first time. "When that green robot attacked, I needed something to protect us with and this just… appeared." For a few seconds both hedgehogs looked at each other, neither one liking this new mystery being inconveniently dumped in with all the others.

"Uh guys, I hate to remind you, but the po-po are still coming," Manic said as the sirens drew closer. Sonic placed Sonia in the car as Manic and Tails climbed into the backseat, then he turned to Amy.

"You up to trying to outrun the cops if we need to?" he asked as he climbed into the passenger's seat.

"I'm hoping it won't come to that," the pink hedgehog replied as she started up the engine. "With any luck we can get out of here before they arrive and just avoid them all together." Looking back Amy pulled the car out of garage, turning it around as she made for the gate. Sensing the approaching vehicle, the gate opened and Amy pulled out into the street. A left, a right, another right, a left. In the early morning twilight the car moved through the streets in a winding pattern to avoid detection. All the while the sirens were getting quieter.

As they made it out of the neighborhood, Sonic smiled a bit in relief.

'_Now at least we have time to get someplace safe,'_ the cobalt hedgehog thought. In retrospect, he should have known better.

All of a sudden Amy's car jumped forward with a loud bang, startling everyone inside. Twisting in his chair, Sonic looked behind just in time to see the grill of a black van as it slammed into their vehicle for a second time.

"What's happening?" Manic asked as he looked with his elder brother. His eyes widened as he saw Snively's bulbous head looking over the van's dashboard, a furious look on his face as he glared down at the hedgehoglet.

"This is nuts," Amy said as she struggled to control her vehicle and keep it on the road. "Do we have a target on our bumper or something?"

"What are the odds those are the goombas who sicced those robots on us?" Sonic asked as his face became a glower. His hand reached into the backseat as he picked up Amy's hammer, grunting a bit at the weight. "Ugh, Amy how did you swing this thing?"

"What are you doing?" Amy asked, ignoring her boyfriend's question for the time being as she watched Sonic roll down his window. Instead of answering, Sonic pulled himself halfway out of the window, the hammer still in his hands.

"Woah," he gasped as the hammer's heart-shaped head hit the road, sending sparks flying as it scrapped along. Still Sonic held onto the handle, gritting his teeth as his muscles strained to swing about and give the weapon some height. At the apex of the swing, the hedgehog released the hammer, lobbing it at the pursuing van. Tires squealed as the vehicle swerved to try to avoid the hammer, failing as the pink hammer struck hard on van's windshield.

"Gun it!" Sonic commanded as their pursuers struggled to stay on the road. Amy's foot slammed into the gas pedal as the little sedan sped forward, fishtailing just a little thanks to the damage it had incurred.

* * *

"No!" Snively yelled as he gripped his armrests, holding on tightly as the Sergeant tried to keep control of the van. Thankfully there was nothing else on the road this early. Once they were no longer swerving about, Snively looked up at the windshield, now an opaque network of cracks that resembled a rather complex spider-web. The strange hammer the fleeing Mobians had thrown at them was gone, presumably lying on the road somewhere. The Sergeant reached up with his gun, striking the ruined glass with the handle to knock it out and regain visibility.

Snively unbuckled his safety belt, sticking his head out the window to see as well. The road was empty; there was no sign of the sedan. The tiny businessman could feel his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Please tell me you can see something I cannot," he said to the driver in a shaky voice. The G.U.N. agent only shook his head, his jaw clenching. Quietly the young Robotnik sat back down in his chair, visibly shaking. "No. No, no, no, no, no." Puce eyes, wide with terror, looked beseechingly at the man in the driver's seat. "We cannot go back empty handed. Not after everything that's gone on. There won't be enough of us left to fill teabags if my uncle gets his hands on us."

"I'm open to suggestions, sir," the Sergeant pointed out as he turned off the road. It wouldn't do for a police cruiser to spot the van, not with the damage it had incurred. Snively considered his options, reaching down to the floor to retrieve his laptop. The hard casing had gotten a small crack when it had hit the dashboard, but other than that the machine seemed to be in working order. Once more Snivley logged on, opening the link to Cyberon's mainframe. For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, he accessed the database for available Egg-Hunters. While the entries for Alpha, Beta, and Delta were all understandably darker, there were several other entries that were still quite bright. Before the startled Sergeant's eyes, Snively began to select each entry, one after the other, grabbing each available robot in turn. Names like Sigma, Psi, Kappa, Zeta, and Epsilon began to flash as the man's agile fingers entered commands.

"Sir, what are you doing?" the alarmed soldier asked. The last thing they needed was for the younger Robotnik to start some sort of war, especially within the capital of Station Square.

"The Egg-Hunters are searchers, designed to find and track quarry," Snively pointed out as he continued to program the ten new robots. "I'll turn them loose into the city. A few people might spot something out of the ordinary, but not enough should see them to worry anyone, especially if I give them some 'special' orders."

"This is not a good idea. Your uncle will be most furious if he finds out," the Sergeant said as he drove onward. "It would be in everyone's best interest if we were to cut our losses for n-"

The click of a gun cut the man off mid-sentence. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his passenger held a handgun in one hand, aimed directly at him. Snively's body was rigid as stone as he made his threat, a glare on his face as he stared at the driver. But his eyes spoke of fear, wild and primal, more fierce than that of any animal caught in the sites of a predator.

"You fail to understand our situation," Snively said slowly. "Dr. Robotnik will already be furious with us. He was furious at us the moment that hedgehog moved out of the way of Alpha's sniper attack. He was furious when we were forced to tail them through Central. My uncle's anger has already been met and the only way to ease it is if we deliver something orange and fuzzy to him at the end of all this." The gun moved away from its target. "Now is not the time for us to fold our hands, no. If ever there was, now is the time to for us to go all in."

"This still feels like a mistake."

"My good man, you seem like an intelligent enough individual, so I will pose this question to you. Robotnik will be furious at the both of us, but I am the head of an important company and fairly difficult to replace. While I will indeed most likely require medical care as a result of our failure, what on earth makes you believe you will be anything other than just another unsolved missing persons report?" At this dire ultimatum, the Sergeant ducked his head and continued to drive, quiet as Snively continued his work.

* * *

The doors of the car locked with an audible thump, then closed with a sharp slam. Absently Amy began to slide her keys into a pocket, looking just a touch forlorn as she looked over the blue sedan she'd owned for so long.

"Come on Ames, we gotta keep moving," Sonic said, placing a hand on the pink hedgehog's shoulder. Amy looked back at her boyfriend, nodding. She'd loved that car, it had been one of the first things she'd bought on her own after coming to Central. And she would probably never see it again.

They were inside a parking garage, the type of place people tended to leave their cars for the night or day, thereby avoiding having to find a parking spot inside the city. With any luck no one would find her car and once this was over she could reclaim it, but for now there was too much chance someone could track them through it. It would just be a matter of tagging her license plates and every cop in the city would have cause to stop them.

For now she had to abandon it. Doing so was practical, it was intelligent, it was just plain the correct decision to make.

That didn't make it any less of a crappy thing to have to do.

"So what do we do now?" Sonia asked. The girl had finally snapped out of her catatonic state as they'd been looking for a garage. Thankfully no one had been around to hear her yell, swatting her arms to keep the fires that still played in her head away.

"We need to get out of Central," Sonic said decisively, slapping the back of his right hand into his left for emphasis. "If we stay here, we're playing on their court, and all they have to do is keep hounding us until we've got no way left to run.

"But where can we go? We've got nowhere else to be and we don't even know who is after us."

"I… I don't know."

"We could go to my Aunt's place in Riverwood," Amy suggested. "It's a big house, and I'm sure we'd be welcome…" Sonic was shaking his head.

"Kintobor welcomed us and look where that got him," the blue hedgehog pointed out. Amy looked away as sudden tears appeared in her eyes, prompting her boyfriend to put an arm around her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that," Sonic consoled her as she gave a little sniffle. "None of us thought those idiots would actually attack the Doc's house. What kind of psycho would declare war in a city?"

"Oh Sonic, Dr. Kintobor's dead," Amy cried. He'd been more than her boss, he'd been her friend. It had been a point of pride that she'd gotten to work with the man, to assist a person that had helped so many others. So far away from her family, he'd been like a second father to her, someone she'd trusted to always be able to help whenever it was needed. And now…

"I'm… I'm sorry about this," Tails suddenly spoke up, causing the four hedgehogs to look at him. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't asked for your help, you'd still have your home, you'd still have your friend." The cub almost automatically drew his cloak around him, as though trying to disappear into the thick fabric. "Maybe… Maybe if I just give myself up… they'll leave you alone."

"No," Sonic answered. "No, I'm not giving up that easily." Letting go of Amy, Sonic pursed his lips and steeled his jaw. "I don't know how other people these idiots have pushed around do things, but when some schmuck blows up pieces of the city around me, I take it very personally. I don't know who wants you so badly kid, but as far as I'm concerned they can suck it."

"Really?" Tails asked, his voice hopeful and glad his offer was not being called upon.

"Then we're back to square one," Sonia pointed out. "We need to find a place to lay low."

"I… I might have an idea," Manic offered up, yawning a bit. "There's a place the older members of the Feral Knights use. A hiding spot in case the police are out and about. Trevor showed me it once. It… it should be safe to stay, at least for a while, and it's not far from here." Sonic looked at his brother with hard eyes, his mind muddling over this information.

'_We're desperate, but I just don't want to owe that scummy rat anything,'_ he thought to himself. But there were other matters to consider besides pride. Manic and Sonia were both feeling the effects of not getting enough sleep. Heck he was starting to crash, his muscles aching and his joints throbbing from being so active for so long. They did not have the luxury of being choosey. Besides if Trevor wasn't involved, how quickly would Sonic have jumped at something like this?

"Fine, we don't have a choice," the blue hedgehog finally conceded. Manic grinned at his apparent victory. "But we're not staying there any longer than we have to. Just enough time to plan our next move."

"Yeah, yeah, sure So… Sonic," Manic agreed. Then a somewhat sheepish look crossed the cub's face. "Uh, there's just one problem, Big Bro. This place, it's kinda lacking in… um… facilities, ya see and, well, in all the excitement of runnin' for our lives and all, I kinda haven't been able to, ah… you know." An embarrassed expression came upon Manic as he looked at his eldest sibling imploringly. For a brief moment, Sonic's tired mind struggled to understand what his sibling was trying to tell him.

"Oh!" he suddenly said, comprehension dawning on him. "Oh, oh, oh. Yeah, I guess we could all use a quick stop off, couldn't we?" The quintet quickly made their way to a gas station that was open, Sonic and Amy collecting the keys necessary to make use of the lavatories. With deference to age, and the fact that Tails claimed he didn't need to go, Manic was allowed to use the men's room first. Locking the door behind him, the green hedgehog moved as far away from it as possible, all the better so no one could hear what he was about to do.

When he'd helped Amy check Dr. Kintobor's fallen body, Manic had noticed a cell-phone fall out of the human's pants pocket and, without a second thought, had scooped it up. He wasn't entirely sure why he'd done that, especially since Kintobor had been their friend, and he usually made it policy not to steal from friends. But now the pilfered device would make itself useful.

Manic had not lied to Sonic about the safehouse Trevor had shown him. The problem was that while he did know where it was, he didn't know how to get in. Being only a junior member of the gang meant Manic was not privy to all of its secrets, even if he was the leader's favorite. That meant he had to call Trevor up himself.

_'And no way Sonic would agree to this if I told him I needed to call Trevor,'_ the boy thought. Flipping open the phone, and grateful the device had not been locked by its deceased owner, Manic began to dial.

* * *

In a dingy, third-rate apartment, Trevor snored loudly as he slept on his filthy bed, the digital clock on his nightstand flashing twelve o'clock. A pleased sound escaped the rat's mouth as he dreamed a particularly pleasant dream that had nothing to do with his present surroundings.

A sudden buzzing roused the gang leader, causing him to snort and grunt as his narrow head rose from his pillow. With a few angry swipes the Mobian rodent managed to grab hold of the source of the noise, a small cell-phone.

"What?" Trevor asked grouchily, not at all pleased to be awoken from his slumber.

"Tevor?" a quiet voice asked on the other end. Recognizing the sound of Manic's voice, the rat's mind became much more alert. Memories of a little man offering a lot of money came to the forefront of his mind and he knew he had to play this hand close to his chest.

"Manic, little buddy, wasn't expecting to hear from you so late," the rat responded in a more understanding voice, his eyes looking towards the screen of his cell for the caller ID. The number Manic was using was unlisted; a fact that did not bode well for Trevor's financial plans, but was certainly not the end of them. "Something wrong, bud?"

"Yeah, I'm… WE'RE in trouble here… Trevor," Manic responded, again in a quiet voice that held a yawn. The rat had no trouble recognizing who the "we" Manic was talking about was. Clearly something was up.

"Where are you?" he asked, a tinge of real worry in his voice. If they were already caught, or in the process of being caught, it was doubtful that shrimpy Robotnik character would pay him any money.

"We're at a gas station, making a pit stop," replied the hedgehog, adding the last part as though his leader needed some sort of clarification. "I… I want to take everyone to that safe house you showed me, the one on Crown Street." Trevor's eyes closed for a moment as he tried to remember which one that was. His mind settled on an old office building he'd "acquired," a perfectly safe place to stay… that had absolutely no alternate escape route. A pointed mouth smiled. "Trevor?"

"What?" the startled rat barked back, causing Manic to squeak in response. Quickly he mastered himself. "Sorry, sorry, my mind just wandered off. It is early in the morning, kiddo."

"Right, sorry," a contrite apology returned. "But I was saying, I can't remember the combination to get into the building."

"Oh, right, I guess you'd need that, wouldn't you," Trevor jokingly replied, a smile on his face. _'This is too perfect! I knew there was a reason I kept being so nice to that little punk.'_ Opening his nightstand drawer, the Mobian pulled out a small notebook in which he stored things he didn't always trust to memory. After a moment or two of searching, the Leader of the Feral Knights found what he was looking for. "You still there, lil' bro?"

"I'm here, but I have to hurry. I think Sonic's starting to get suspicious."

"Okay the number is two-five-six-three-nine. Got that?"

"Two-five-six-three-nine. Got it. Thanks again Trev. I'm sorry I'm bugging you so early."

"Manny, Manny, Manny, think nothing of it. Haven't I always told you? The Feral Knights look out for one another. We're like family, you and me."

"I know, I know," the cub responded a little ashamed he'd forgotten that basic tenant of the gang. "I keep trying to tell Sonic that but…"

"It's all right Manic, he's just got a lot on his mind." Trevor bristled again at the elder hedgehog's name. Sonic would definitely be a problem if the rat wasn't careful. "You just get your family to safety and if you need anything else, you got my number."

"Thanks Trev, you're a lifesaver."

"Uh, one thing before ya go. That fox that was with you before… he wouldn't happen to STILL be with ya, would he?" There was a pause during which Trevor could almost hear the gears in Manic's head turn as he wondered whether or not to share that information. After what seemed like an eternity, the answer came.

"Yes, yes he is." A sudden knock could be heard over the connection, followed by the muffled sound of Sonic's voice making some crack about Manic falling in something. "Sorry, Trevor, but I gotta go." With that the line went dead, not that the rat overly cared. It was about time all that togetherness crap he'd been spouting had paid off, and pay off it had. A clawed thumb once more began to flip through the pages of Trevor's notebook as he looked for something else. Finding his quarry, the rat began to dial the number.

"Hello, is this Mr. Colin Robotnik?" he asked of the agitated voice that answered his call. "Oh good. My name is Trevor, we met last night. You mentioned you were looking for some missing property of yours…"

* * *

"Two-Five-Six-Three-Nine," Manic repeated as he punched each button on the keypad. The red "locked" light changed to green as an audible click announced the door to be no longer locked. Sonic pushed inward, sticking his head inside to make sure the place was safe. Satisfied, the blue hedgehog signaled for his comrades to enter. Sunlight filtered in through the darkened windows, providing some illumination as the group made their way past the old lobby and into the back area where Manic said a nest had been set up. Indeed, someone had knocked down several walls that had formerly separated individual offices, setting up a couch and a mattress, along with a few chairs and a card table. The building apparently still had power to it, as evidenced by the little refrigerator that was humming away in the corner. A coffee maker and what looked like a second-hand hotplate rested on a counter, the last remnant of what had once been the kitchenette.

"This place is crap," Sonic observed as a roach, startled by the sudden appearance of so many large creatures, tore off for some dark crevasse to hide in.

"It's not a palace," Manic admitted as he sank down on the mattress, "but it is safe. No one's ever been found here."

"I can see why," Amy said. The pink hedgehog had opened the mini-fridge and pulled out what appeared to be a carton of milk. Its expiration date, however, marked it as closer to being cheese.

"Anything drinkable in there?" Sonic asked.

"Nothing I think we should be drinking," his girlfriend responded, showing him a canned beverage that was most definitely not soda. Grabbing hold of the coffee pot, Sonic walked over to the sink turning on the faucet and, surprisingly, getting clear water to come out.

"Well that's encouraging."

"Yeah, water 's… water 's still good here," Manic yawned out, his body already horizontal. Nearby Sonia was following suit, while Tails seemed to be making himself comfortable on the floor.

"Okay, we'll catch up on some Z's here for a couple hours, then we head out." In answer to their brother's statement, both Sonia and Manic snored a bit, already asleep. Tails, though, remained attentive.

"What do we do then?" he asked, his eyes showing not a single sign of fatigue. In his mind the blue hedgehog filed this under odd, but ascribed it merely to adrenalized excitement.

"Dr. Kintobor said he had a friend in the military; that Colonel Sanders or whatever, right?"

"Major," the fox corrected, causing Sonic and Amy to look at him. "Your friend said his friend was a Major."

"Fine, whatever," the male hedgehog responded, shrugging his shoulder. "Anyway, the Doc said this guy would be able to help us, right? It might be a good idea ta try to find him."

"We don't know where to look, though," Amy pointed out. "How do we find this Sanders person without whatever group has been chasing us catching on?"

"I… I don't know," he admitted, his head starting to hurt. Planning was not his strong suit. "Maybe we can find him in the citizen registry. I can't imagine he'd be too difficult to just track down. Then me and Tails can go find him."

"Excuse me?" Amy started. "'You and Tails?' What are the rest of us going to do?" She looked at her boyfriend, who didn't seem to want to look at her. "You don't want us to come with you, do you?" Glancing at his siblings to make sure they were asleep, Sonic nodded.

"I figure you can go to that Aunt you mentioned," he said quietly so he wouldn't wake the children. "These guys may want us all dead, but they're after Tails. I figure if I take him away from you guys, you can just slip through the cracks to safety."

"While you have no one to help you if you get into trouble," Amy bit back, though she kept her own voice down too.

"Ames, I can't concentrate on fightin' these guys if I have to worry about you all too." Sonic yawned at the end of this statement. "It'd be smart to break the group up. Two Mobians move quicker than five."

"Uh-uh, you don't… don't get off that easy," Amy yawned at him. "I'm not just gonna let you take everyone on on your own."

"Look, nothing's final right now. I'm just thinking out loud," defended the blue hedgehog. "And besides, now isn't really the time to argue the point, least not until we know we gotta split up." Sonic took a drink from the coffeepot and then set it down before taking a seat on the couch. "Right now I think we should just try to get some shut eye." Amy joined him, setting the alarm on her digital watch to wake them up in a few hours. Leaning against one another, the two adults were soon asleep, leaving Tails to muddle over what he had heard.

* * *

Knuckles breathed hard, a large hand gripping his chest.

Shadow was good, there was simply no getting around that. Every time the echidna Guardian had thought he'd lost the killer hedgehog, Shadow had turned up again, spoiling for a fight. If Knuckles was not absolutely positive there was only one Gray Dusk Chaos Emerald, he'd have thought there were multiple Shadows after him.

_ 'Absolutely ludicrous.'_ Cautiously the warrior poked his head out of the alley he'd taken refuge in. There was no sign of his pursuer, not that that proved much. An urge to yawn rose in his throat, but Knuckles forced it down, calling forth a small portion of the Ruby Blaze's power to restore his stamina. It was no substitute for sleep, but the power would keep him going longer than any other creature could. _'Provided, of course, they're not also drawing on the same source.'_

Jamming his knuckles-spikes into the mortar of the wall, the echidna began to climb up. The sudden roar of rockets gave him pause, and he pressed his body against the brickwork, hoping his brown hat and poncho would conceal his bright red fur. At first Knuckles thought he'd been found again, but no blast of chaos energy followed the noise. Curious, the echidna pulled himself up to the roof, looking about the morning sky.

Knuckles knew about robots, at least on an intellectual level. It had been part of his training to familiarize himself with the types of obstacles that might be thrown his way. So he wasn't overly surprised to see two of the machine men jetting their way across the rooftops, merely surprised at the form they took. He'd thought they'd be more "human" shaped, with big barrel bodies, thick arms, and round heads. But these looked more like eggs with spindly arms and legs, while some sort of disk seemed to hover at their backs, the source of their propulsion. Neither robot, and there were two, one a dusty yellow, the other a dull teal, seemed to notice the hidden Guardian, for which Knuckles was grateful. He needed to find a good place to rest.

Still he couldn't help wondering where the two weapons were headed in such a hurry.

* * *

A single claw moved about, drawing a shape in the dusty floor, careful not to disturb the other lines it had so painstakingly drawn for the past hour or so.

Tails really wasn't sure about how long he'd been at this. He'd never really gotten the hang of telling time; it simply had not been a factor when he'd been at the laboratory. Doctors had come and gone at intervals, either using him for tests of collecting data. He'd gotten to eat, but breakfast, lunch, and dinner were foreign words to him, it had always been the same tasteless meal. With no need to know "when" it was, the young fox had not deigned even make the question.

But Tails was good at drawing. It was something that eased the boredom, if only a bit. Oh there had never been any paper or drawing materials in his cell, but there had been the floor. And there had been his claws. It had taken time, but he'd gotten quite good at using his imagination, drawing imaginary pictures on the ground and keeping track of the lines in his head. Apparently his activities had drawn attention, as one of the doctors who had been studying the cub had questioned him about it, even attempting to get C2 to recreate his drawings for real with pen and paper. Too afraid he'd been caught doing something wrong, Miles had been unable to oblige and, after two more failed sessions, the inquiry was dropped.

But he'd never fallen out of practice, as evidenced by the crude picture taking shape in the dust. It was an odd portrait, resembling something like a humanoid squid, dressed in what appeared to be a uniform of some kind, though the fox didn't know what kind.

Suddenly the claw halted in its progress as Tails's head looked up.

Something was wrong.

Tails could feel it in his bones that something was wrong. It was a similar feeling to the one he'd had before the attack back at the apartment, but not as intense, not as urgent. Possibly that meant whatever was causing him unease wasn't an immediate threat. Instinctively he got to his feet, ready to wake up Sonic, but stopped as he looked at the blue hedgehog.

Exhaustion had spread across the cobalt speedster's face as he slept, quite obviously everything they'd been through over the past twenty-four hours had gotten to him.

'_Manic says this place is supposed to be safe,'_ the cub thought as he looked back towards the front of the building. _'Maybe… Maybe this feeling I'm getting means an enemy is close but they don't know where we are?' _ Deciding to leave Sonic to his rest, Tails pulled the hood of his cloak up over his head as he turned to investigate. Quietly the youth made his way back towards the lobby, sticking to the shadows as he did so.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, at least to Tails's eyes. No sign of forced entry, nothing moving about in the parking lot. Everything seemed to be all right.

'_Guess I must just be getting nervous,'_ Tails thought as he looked gave a testing sniff of the air.

"Well, well, well," came a voice the fox recognized. "Just who I was looking for." Trevor appeared behind the cub, seemingly out of nowhere. "A pleasure to see you again… Tails was it?" The rat held out his hand, palm up in what was clearly supposed to be the same friendly manner Dr. Kintobor had. He failed miserably.

"What… what are you doing here?" Tails asked, making no move towards his surprise guest. Trevor frowned a bit at the fox's refusal to come closer, but quickly recovered. If he did this right there would be a minimum of fuss.

"Well, this is my hidey hole kid. I'd think I have more of a right to be here than you," he responded as he took a step forward towards the cub. The fox inched backwards a bit. He didn't care what Manic said, Tails did not trust this rat.

Trevor seemed to pick up on that fact.

"Look, you don't want this to become a problem kid, trust me," he claimed. "All ya gotta do is come with me, and there won't be any trouble."

"Why would there be trouble if he stayed?" queried Sonic, his hand grabbing hold of Trevor's shoulder and gripping tightly. Quickly the gang leader hid the surprise on his face and turned to face the blue hedgehog.

"Sonic! Good ta see ya bro." Again the rat held out his hand, this time offering a shake. Green eyes gave the limb a hard stare before it was retracted. "Nice to see your current problems haven't robbed you of that 'friendly' outlook of yours." Sonic was unmoved as he continued to stare at Trevor.

"You don't just show up out of the blue for no reason, rat-boy. What did you mean when you made it sound like there'd be trouble if Tails didn't come with you?"

"Woah, woah," Trevor pleaded as he held up his hands defensively. "You're readin' way too much into this Sonic-bro. I just wanted to take him back to where you guys were, but he's kinda… skittish with me."

"I'll bet," Sonic said dismissively, suspicion coming to the back of his mind. A sudden warmth at his hip indicated Tails had made his way back to his blue friend's side. "Why are you here Trevor?"

"Hey, I just wanted to help," the rat insisted. "You guys seem like you're in a peck of trouble if you don't mind me saying." As it happened, Sonic did mind him saying, since it meant Trevor already knew too much. A moment's clear thought brought back the knowledge of the building's clearly working plumbing.

_'Lacking in facilities my prickly butt,'_ he thought. _'Nice going Manic.'_ Hedgehog and fox turned to leave, Sonic fully intending get everyone out of here, when Trevor suddenly slinked around to get in front of them again.

"What's the hurry Sonic? I told you, I'm here to help you out."

"Yeah, I need your help like I need a hole in my head," Sonic bit back, shouldering past the leather-clad rodent. Trevor's hand shot out to grab his shoulder.

"Look, I'm trying to be nice about this but you're making it very difficult," he said as he jerked the hedgehog to a halt. "You should trust me when I say I make a much better friend than an enemy."

"We're not friends," Sonic growled back, jerking his shoulder out of the rat's grip, "you're a parasite who keeps getting my little brother into trouble, and the only reason you're here right now is because you want something. Now I'm telling you for the last time to leave us alone." Trevor glared at the back of Sonic's head, his teeth gritting as a snarl filled his lips. A hand went into the pocket of his jacket, fingering the knife he kept there for personal defense.

_'Snotty blue freak! If he wants to play hardball we can play alright.'_

"What's happening?" asked Amy as she appeared in the hallway along with Sonia and Manic. The little green hedgehog noticed the presence of his leader and suddenly wished he could hide.

"T-Trevor! What an unexpected surprise. What are you doing here?"

"Save it Manic, we're leaving," Sonic said, his voice even. Now was not the time to get on his little sibling's case about this, now was the time to cut loses and get away from a potential problem.

"You don't have to leave you know," Trevor pointed out to the hedgehogs. "Stay for a bit, get some more rest. We can all go someplace else in a bit." A realization suddenly dawned on Sonic.

"You scumbag," he said accusingly, fighting the urge to attack Trevor then and there. "You did something, didn't you?"

"Now hold on there, Sonic…" the rat began to defend himself. Unmoved Sonic grabbed hold of Tails's hand, as well as Manic's.

"We gotta go now," he said.

"Sonic, wait, let's at least hear Trevor out," Manic began to plead as he was pulled past the rat. His pleas were cut off as Trevor, sensing his fortune getting ready to walk out the door on him, grabbed hold of Amy, pulling her arm behind her back while holding his knife to her neck. Startled by this sudden action Amy let out a squeak alerting her compatriots.

"Oh that's the stupid move to crown all stupid moves," Sonic growled, rounding on the rat.

"Trevor! What are you doing?" Manic asked in disbelief.

"Let her go you… you rat," Sonia glowered.

"Not so fast there blue boy," Trevor threatened, lifting Amy's head a bit to make sure they all saw the weapon at her throat. "I so much as see you start to shimmy near me and this bitch gets a brand new smile." Narrowing his eyes at the knife wielding Mobian, Sonic nevertheless relaxed his body, holding up his hands carefully. "Good boy. I knew we could see eye to eye." Then he looked down at Tails. "You, mutant fox or whatever the hell you are, get over here, now." Tails looked from Trevor to Sonic. "He's not the one calling the shots here brat, now come HERE!" Quickly the cub walked over to the rat, standing next to him as instructed.

Manic watched all this in shock, not quite believing what he was seeing. Trevor was a hero, he helped Mobians. He didn't take girls hostage at knife-point and threaten little kids.

"This… this is a joke, Trev, isn't it?" he asked, hoping there was some part of this he simply couldn't see. "Just a joke, right?"

"Ain't no joke Manny," Sonic pointed out to his younger brother. "This scumbag is trying to kidnap our friend here, same as that red guy at the mall." The blue hedgehog frowned. "He probably called the cops to come here to get us, that's why he didn't want us to leave."

"No! Trevor wouldn't do that," Manic tried to assure them all, though a part of him didn't believe this. Desperately he turned to his leader. "You… you always say Mobians come first. You wouldn't just turn us in to the police. The code of the Feral Knights… right?" Hazel eyes looked imploringly at the rat to prove him right. Trevor just started to snicker.

"Man you really are a dim bulb, you know that?" he spat at the cub. "I'm almost sorry I have to let go of a patsy as good as you."

"What?"

"The whole 'Feral Knights' thing is a scam, you twit. Just some play acting I cooked up to get stupid brats like you ta do what I tell 'em. You honestly think I give a crap about helping other furs? You idiots just run interference with the cops so the real guys can get what we need." At this declaration Manic looked devastated.

"Then… then everything you said was a…"

"…a LIE. Yeah you got it. Congratulation, you know the big secret of the gang. You're all just a bunch of morons too dumb to know you're being used steal and make money. Hell, I'd probably just sell you guys if I could get a good rate. Probably do your 'rents a favor." With a small thunk, Manic slid to the ground, his mind trying to absorb this information. Satisfied his former subordinate would be quiet for now; Trevor returned his full attention to Sonic. The blue hedgehog was smiling.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" asked the rat, creeped out by the quickster's grin.

"Nothing, just imagining how good it's gonna feel when I break your nose for that."

"Fat chance," Trevor countered, his own smug smile returning. "I called the guys who own this twerp of yours and they'll be here any minute ta pay me off." Trevor made a nasty laugh. "Two million big ones 'll get me far in this city, and I doubt you'll be in much of a condition to 'break my nose.'" Beady eyes squinted at Sonic. "Not that I don't thank you for hangin' on to him for me. Heck I might have even thought about sharing some of the loot with you, but you couldn't shut up disrespecting me." At Trevor's words, a sudden thought crossed Sonic's mind.

"Let me get this straight. You actually called the people who've been after us all night and told them to come here… and you expect them to be bringing you money?" Now it was Sonic's turn to laugh. "And you think Manic's dim?" Trevor glowered at the hedgehog, jostling Amy in his arms.

"Don't you dare laugh at me," he snapped. "I'm the one holding the hostage here! I outsmarted YOU!"

"Yeah, and pretty soon that won't matter at all."

"Shut up! You're just trying to throw me off," the now agitated Mobian yelled back. It had been a long time since the leader of the Feral Knights had had to verbally spar with someone his own age. Kids were so much easier to intimidate into silence. "They wouldn't dare double-cross me. Not if they know what's good for them." There was a great finality in the rat's voice, as though he considered this the end all be all of arguments. But Sonic wasn't buying it.

"Why? Because you're 'Trevor, the Leader of the Feral Knights?'" he pointed out. "Do you honestly think that impresses anyone over the age of thirteen?"

"He's right you know," Amy chimed in, looking back at her attacker. "These people have G.U.N. equipment. They've had no fear to fight right here in the city. What do you have? This knife?"

"I got the kid, and that's what they want."

"Yeah, and twenty seconds after these people arrive, they'll have him and you'll be worm food."

"I'm not just some punk they can run over you know."

"No, that's exactly what you are," Sonic reminded him. "That's why Boss Vector wouldn't let you into the Chaotix, remember? That's why you had to settle on bossing around some street kids. 'Cause no one, NO ONE, takes you serious. You're not a threat you just some lame punk with delusions."

"Oh, I'm plenty threatening," Trevor growled back, pressing the knife against Amy's throat. "And if you're not careful I'll show yoAHAHAHOW!" So absorbed had Trevor been in proving himself to Sonic and Amy that he hadn't noticed Tails take hold of his thin, whip-like tail until the cub had bitten down on it with all his might. Reflexes took over as he released Amy, focusing in on the little fox. "You lousy stinking…" The knife glinted in the dim light as it moved to strike the cub, only to stop midway as the wrist of the hand that held it was grabbed.

Five pairs of eyes stared in shock as the cloak Tails had been wearing ceased to be a simple garment. A length of gray fabric now wrapped around Trevor's wrist, holding his arm in an unbreakable grip. Like an amorphous shape, the rest of the cloak arose around the cub, its edges billowing as more tendrils of fabric moved to attack the rat, wrapping around his waist and leg. Tails growled as his attacker's free hand tried to swat at him, the crystal at his neck glowing as the hand was caught and pulled backwards.

"Lemmegolemmegolemmego!" Trevor bellowed as he twisted about in the cloak's grip. Soon he was lifted off the ground, a scream escaping his lips. Tails made a yipping bark as his cloak reared up and threw its captive against the wall. Trevor's body thudded hard before he collapsed to the ground. With a groan the rat tried to regain his footing, only to be tackled by Sonic. Already off balance from the unexpected attack by the suddenly over-protective garment, Trevor couldn't even put up a token defense as Sonic slammed his head into the ground, knocking the punk out. Stripping the rat of his jacket, Sonic used it to tie Trevor's arms behind his back, hoping the leather would function well as rope for the time being.

His task complete, Sonic looked back at Tails, whose cloak still seemed to be hovering menacingly around him. Manic, Sonia, and Amy had kept back from him, more than a little freaked out by both the seemingly living fabric and the glowing stone on the cub's chest. Tails's eyes seemed to be focusing on them, but at the same time they held the look of one who was seeing something else that wasn't quite in the view of anyone else. Closest to the cub, Amy approached him cautiously.

"Tails?" she asked, waving her hand in front of his face, trying to draw him back to their world. Some of the folds in the cloak began to bunch up in her general direction, but no attack came. Deciding to risk it, the pink hedgehog moved forward and touched Tails's face. His eyes blinked as he shook his head, the cloak falling back to his shoulders again.

"What?" Tails began to fall forward a bit, prompting Amy to steady him. Once more he shook his head. "Did… Did something just happen?"

"I'll say," Sonic pointed out. "That killer cape of yours just walloped rat-boy over there." The blue hedgehog threw a thumb back towards Trevor's moaning form. The fox's eyes went wide and Amy could see that there was still a rather intense yellow coloring to them. The same yellow as his stone.

"He… He was gonna stab me!" Tails barked as though he was trying to justify what had happened. As if on cue to the cub's agitation, the cloak began to rise again.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there kid, we get it," Sonic said, trying to calm his friend down. Sonia pulled the still somewhat spaced out Manic away, just in case her brother failed. "We're on your side, remember?" Again the gray cloak fell as Tails calmed down, a shamed look on his face.

_'Was I… Was I just about to attack Sonic?'_ he thought to himself. Memories of the attack on Trevor slowly began to replay themselves for him. He remembered biting the rat, wanting to make him let go of Amy. Then the knife had been turned towards him and Tails had felt… fury?

Yes, it had been fury he'd felt, not fear. Some part of his mind had raged at the thought of someone daring to point a knife at him. And then Trevor had been flying across the room, crashing into the wall. And it had not been enough. Tails remembered looking, searching for another opponent. When Amy had approached, it had been all the fox could do to remind himself that she was not an enemy.

_'But how did I do all that?'_ Unconsciously Tails fingered his stone.

"Sonic, we need to leave now," Amy reminded her boyfriend. "If Trevor gave away our location, we probably don't have long to get out before…"

"Too late," Sonia said, pointing out to the street where a familiar black van with a dented front bumper pulled up in front of the office building. From the van stepped out what looked like a soldier and a little kid with a bald head.

"That's the bulb-head!" Manic suddenly declared, becoming animate as he tried to crouch behind his sister. "He was one of the guys who tried to run us off the road!" At present the little man handed something to the soldier, who took it and drew his weapon before he approached the building. The gun was pointed at several different places as the soldier made his journey.

"He can't see us," Sonia realized. "It's too dark in here and bright out there, the windows are acting like mirrors."

"Then don't move. The last thing we need is for him to start shooting," Sonic told her. The soldier reached the door of the building, and Sonic felt his muscles tense. If the man came inside looking for them, the hedgehog would have to move fast to keep him from using his weapon. But the human didn't even touch the door, instead crouching down to place whatever he'd been holding next to the door. Quickly he returned to the shorter human's side.

Bulb-head had placed a similar object on the ground before him and now he pointed a finger in the general direction of the cornered Mobians, then down at the little device before picking it up. Sonic got the gist, moving to the door and opening it just enough to take the proffered item as he kept his eye on the soldier, lest his head prove too attractive a target. They'd given him a cell phone.

The moment he made it back to his friends, the phone began to ring, a needling little beep that irritated Sonic's ears. Flipping it open, he pressed the call answer button, and placed the device to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Greetings. May I take it I am speaking to one Olgilvie Maurice Hedgehog?" came a nasally voice on the other end. Sonic gritted his teeth at the sound of his name and everything it implied.

"The name's Sonic," he growled in a voice that indicated using the "O"-word again would permanently end this conversation.

"Yes, I thought as much," the nasally voice continued.

"Who is this?" asked the hedgehog, staring at the dwarf he knew was talking to him.

"It would probably be in your best interest not to know that."

"So then what do I call you? Bulbhead? Needlenose?"

"Not if you value your life," the human answered in an irritated voice. "If you feel you must call me something, simply 'Human,' will suffice." Sonic's eyes narrowed at that. He didn't like dealing with the nameless, especially ones with access to heavy weapons.

"Okay so now that we've intro'd ourselves, what's it you want?" he asked.

"Oh come now, Mr. Hedgehog, surely you can hazard a guess," the nasally voice answered in a coy tone. "I'm seeking the return of my property which has found its way into your possession." Emerald eyes glanced down at Tails, who immediately began to shy away. With the volume of the cell so high, Sonic had little trouble believing the kit had overheard that last part.

"'Your property,' huh?"

"The fox cub," The human supplied.

"You get I might find you 'owning' him a bit hard to swallow, right?" Sonic chided.

"If you knew as much about that… 'cub' as I do, you might see things differently."

"Enlighten me."

"Again that would probably fall under the heading of 'healthier if you didn't know.'" At this point Sonic was beginning to tire of this game.

"So far you haven't given me much reason not to simply hang up."

"Do you remember the Egg Hunters?" Out of habit Sonic nodded. It wasn't like it had been all that long ago he'd had to face them.

"You mean the ones that BLEW UP my HOME? Yeah, I remember them," the hedgehog stated, emphasizing the first part. It was now the human's turn to chide.

"Now, now, let us not dwell on the past, lest we allow it to cloud our present. The point I'm trying to make is that I have seven more of those machines converging on this position. End this call prematurely and I shall have no choice but to send them in. I imagine even someone of your abilities must have limits." Looking out the windows at the roof of the building across the street, Sonic did indeed see familiar shapes moving about.

_'Shit!'_ He glowered at the little man outside.

"And yet, despite the overwhelming force at my command, I am inclined to show mercy," the human continued after a brief pause. "I would prefer to end this with as little violence as possible. Hence why I sent your rodent friend in to try to coax you out."

"You didn't seem too unwilling to fight when you invaded my apartment," Sonic countered, his eyes narrowing, "or when you killed my friend."

"Tut, tut, remember what I said about the past clouding the present. We'll never get anywhere if you don't let go." There was a drawn out breath as, outside the little man began to pace back and forth a few steps, no doubt trying to convey the impression he was bored. "Now as I said, all I desire is the return of my property. After that I could really care less what happens to you and your little group. While I am confident I could achieve this by force, I feel we have drawn more than enough attention to ourselves for the moment, so I'm willing to seek a middle ground. In that spirit, I find myself asking, what is it that you want?"

"Huh?"

"Surely it has dawned on you that C2, the cub, is a valuable commodity to me. If in order to retrieve him I must spend some money, then that seems worthwhile."

"You're offering me money."

"Not merely money dear boy, I'm offering you what you desire," came the oily response. "Though I am not at liberty to divulge the 'who,' I do represent a rather large corporation with tremendous resources at its disposal. I imagine it would be child's play for us to fulfill the wishes of few Mobians."

"Really," Sonic said in a flat, unbelieving tone. The hedgehog was now looking up and down the street, trying to figure out a way for them to escape this situation. The office building may have been a good hiding spot, but it was essentially located in a killing corridor, especially with the robots sitting on the roof.

"Really. For instance, that apartment you lost. Forgive my judgment but it was a hole. The roaches were probably living better than you. Wouldn't you prefer something a bit more… upscale? Somewhere less crime-ridden? I heard you recently lost your job. We can help you find another, one less demeaning, and with enough free time to allow you to, I don't know, pursue a G.E.D. And what of that brother and sister of yours? Wouldn't you like to be able to send them to better schools, maybe clean up the boy's criminal record? A man like me can open many, many doors for you, and all you have to do is return to me what is mine. I can't think of a better offer, really."

For a moment, Temptation reared its ugly head. There was no denying that what the little human was offering sounded very good to the blue hedgehog. And afterall, who could blame him for wanting a better life? And it wasn't even as if he knew Tails all that well. Sonic had his own family to think about, just as Dr. Kintobor had said.

The cub in question had withdrawn back into his cloak, pulling the hood back over his head in the same submissive manner he tended to do whenever he wasn't sure of something. Sonia, Manic, and Amy all looked at him, waiting to see what Sonic would do.

"Well, Mr. Hedgehog? I'm waiting," the nasally voice called expectantly. Clearly no one had ever kept him waiting for an answer. Above him four of the robots seemed to be shuffling about on the roof. A gruff frown crossed Sonic's face as he looked out of the front of the building.

"So if I just hand this kid over, we all can walk away, no trouble?" he asked, glowering as the other three hedgehogs started to say something. There was a pause as the party on the other line seemed to be measuring what had been said. Finally the answer came.

"Yes." The frown suddenly turned into a smile.

"Well that's too bad. I don't walk anywhere Needle-Nose." The phone clattered to the floor as Sonic dropped it, his foot smashing the device into the cement of the floor. Quickly he looked at everybody else. "Get ready to run, we're about to have company.

* * *

Outside Snively listened as the other cell phone was stomped and the line died, an annoyed look on his face.

"Negotiations have broken down," he hissed at the Lieutenant. "I should have known better than to attempt to bargain with animals."

"So what now?"

"I believe I told him that if he hung up, all bets were off." Snively touched the implant above his eye. "Egg Hunters, converge on target structure, eliminate everyone inside save for C2. Bring him to me." Above the two humans, rockets started up as the attack robots acted on their orders.

* * *

"What do we do?" Sonia asked, grabbing hold of Manic's hand. He was still a little bit dumbstruck by Trevor's betrayal and she wasn't about to let him do something stupid in all the confusion to come.

"There's a manhole cover out there, a couple of yards behind Needle Nose's van. That's our way out."

"The sewer!" Sonia exclaimed, her face twisting in horror as she imagined what could be down there. "Isn't there somewhere less… disgusting we can go to?"

"Not that I can see," Sonic pointed out. "And this way they can't fly over us and try to herd us anywhere."

"You dweebs'll never do it," interrupted Trevor, who had just regained his senses after Sonic's attack. "You shoulda taken the man's offer, anyone with any sense woulda done it."

"If I were you I'd be less concerned with us and more concerned with what your little friend out there is going to do when he finds you. Especially since I'm not hauling your skinny butt anywhere." Suddenly something crashed through the glass doors; several somethings in fact. Four Egg-Hunters entered the building, fanning out into a semicircle formation as they began to lock onto targets. Before they could fire, Sonic leapt into action, running full tilt into the closest robot and knocking its arm to the side. The laser pulse its weapon fired struck its compatriots, interrupting their attack patterns as they worked to deal with this new threat.

_'These things don't seem all that bright, and it looks like they react more than try to counteract,'_ he thought as he swept at another of the robot's legs. _'I can probably use that, but we can't stay here too long.'_ Sonic back flipped over another robot that had been taking aim at him, allowing it to shoot up the one he'd previously knocked down. A shriek reached the hedgehog's ears as he turned to see one of the hunters reaching for Tails. This time the cub was not quite as defenseless as the machine had probably hoped, his cloak rising to grab hold of the attacker's arm. A laser blast shot through the fabric but did little damage, and soon the Egg-Hunter was being flung away.

"Sonic!" Amy yelled, just as a metal arm caught the distracted blue hedgehog in the head and knocked him to the ground. In a flash of speed Sonic moved, avoiding the laser that had followed the attack. Rebounding off the wall, the speedster cannonballed into the hunter's torso, driving it backwards and denting its armor inward. Suddenly a rock slammed into the robot's face, startling Sonic. Sonia and Manic, the ones who had dragged the stone over, smiled at their brother, getting an encouraging grin back. Quickly they broke apart as Sonic went back to work.

As her boyfriend dealt with their attackers, Amy moved to clear a path to the outside. The three robots that had not been part of the initial assault attacked, obviously there to ambush anyone escaping. The pink hedgehog rolled out of the way as the machines struck, drawing them away from the door so that, hopefully the others could get through. One of the Hunters followed her, intent on ending her interference as she fell to the ground. Reaching behind her for something to defend herself with, Amy's hand touched what felt like a bar sticking up near her. A sudden tingling ran through her body, but in the face of battle she ignored it as she gripped the bar. Swinging the makeshift weapon at her the Egg-Hunter, the nurse was quite surprised when, instead of a thin piece of metal striking the robot, the head of a hammer appeared. Sparking wildly, the robot backed up as Amy looked at her hand to see she was once more holding the same hammer she'd been wielding back at Kintobor's.

_'It must have gotten stuck to those goons' van and drug here,'_ she surmised, hefting the weapon up on her shoulder as she smirked at the other two hunters, beckoning for them to attack. The robots stayed put, their programming once more trying to make sense of what was going on.

"Bonzai!" Sonic yelled as he leapfrogged over the two Egg-Hunters. Nearby the children raced out of the building, followed by their three Egg-Hunters. Sonic took one look at the hammer in Amy's hand, and the dented Egg Hunter trying to regain its footing, and came to the same conclusion the nurse had. "Was hoping we'd see that thing again."

"C2, it is time to end this farce," Snively called from where he stood by the van, the G.U.N. Lieutenant raising his sidearm to aim. "You've had your fun, but you know how this is going to end. Return now, or do you really want to inflict more suffering on these hedgehogs?" Tails looked back at the little man, a twang of guilt bouncing through his heart. Then he looked at Sonic. The blue hedgehog had not abandoned him, had not turned him over to their pursuers, despite how much easier that would have been. None of his friends had. In light of that, what right did he have to just give up.

On the flip side was something else.

Anger.

Rage.

Fury...

Emotions that were at the same time alien to the cub, and wholeheartedly familiar.

"Tails… Tails," Sonic's voice interjected as he shook his little friend, snapping him out of what had quickly become a trance. "You're doing that glowy thing again," the hedgehog warned. By the van Snively had taken a step back, a look of fear on his face, as though he recognized something he didn't like.

"Egg-Hunters, execute them."

"Amy, I think it's time to go."

"Way ahead of you, Sonic," the girl hedgehog answered as she hefted her giant mallet into the air above her head. With a loud thwacking sound the flat head slammed into the metal disc, crushing the concrete that held it in place and sending it crashing to the water below. They're way out open, Amy, Sonia, and Manic leapt through the hole. Tails too scrambled for the hole, only to get sideswiped by one of the Egg-Hunters.

"Kid!" Sonic called, seeing his friend's peril. The fox began to struggle in the robot's grip, his cloak trying once more to wrap itself around metal limbs and force it to let the boy go, but without any leverage, the robot was unmoved. Before Sonic could move to confront the fox's captor, three of the robots intercepted him, shooting the ground at his feet.

"Let me go you, you, you… piece of junk!" Tails cried as he wiggled about.

"Bring him to me," Snively commanded, beckoning towards the Egg-Hunter. The robot turned on its stilted legs and began to walk over to its master.

"Hang on kid, I'm coming," Sonic yelled as he danced between lasers. The other two robots had joined in, forcing the hedgehog backwards despite his proclamation. This was not lost on the captive cub.

"No, no, let me go," he cried, thrashing about in the robot's grip, desperate for escape. The robot didn't even acknowledge Tails's screams. "Let me go, let me go, LET ME GO!" Once more the yellow stone at Tails's neck flared to life, blinding everyone around him for a moment. The cub's cloak went slack as golden energy pulsed past it and into the Egg Hunter. The robot ceased walking, shaking violently as energy permeated its metallic form. With a sudden jolt, the once fearsome war machine fell to pieces, not merely destroyed parts, but bits and components, as though every screw, nut, nail, and even bonding agent used to hold its circuits together were simply removed from its body. Tails fell to the ground amid a shower of metal, instinctively covering his head as the bits and pieces bounced off the ground around him.

It was Snively who recovered first, a look of fear gracing his face, before a sudden determination replaced it. Sprinting forward as fast as he could, the little man quickly closed the gap between himself and the fox, his hand dipping into his pants pocket to pull out a small device. Quickly he grabbed the cub's wrist, moving to attach the strange device. He never got the chance.

Tails looked at the human, his eyes now awash in the same energy from before. Twisting his arm, he broke Snively's hold and raised the other arm to place the palms of both hands against Snively's chest.

"Chaos Pulse," the cub called and, with a sudden explosion of yellow energy, Snively found himself flying backwards, slamming into the back of his van. With a pained gasp he fell back to the ground, wheezing as he tried to regain his breath.

"We… We must contain that brat… Now!" he yelled to his subordinate. The G.U.N. soldier gave the still glowing cub a skeptical look, trying to think of a way to achieve that objective.

Before he could make a decision, another set of hands grabbed hold of the fox. Again Tails moved to punish this interloper, only to have the yellow aura that surrounded him dissipate when he realized he was in the arms of Sonic. Not even bothering with a quip, the hedgehog bolted for the open manhole, diving feet first into the darkness. Over where he still struggled to breath, Snively still managed to glare at his remaining subordinates.

"What are you fools waiting for? Go get them, get them, GET THEM!" The robots rose into the air and charged for the hole as Snively and the Lieutenant began to climb into the van.

"Wait just a minute!" a new voice barked as Trevor stomped out of former safe haven, angrily tossing away the jacket he'd managed to free himself of. "You're not going anywhere, ya hear me. Not until you give me my money." An irritated Snively turned to the rat, in no mood to deal with yet another problem.

"What money? I owe you nothing."

"Bullshit. I did everything you said. Practically gift-wrapped the mutant twerp for ya. It's not my fault you couldn't hold on to them. Now give me my money." Snarling, the human shook his head and dismissed the rat, climbing up into the van. "Oh, oh you think you can just ignore me do you? Well maybe I should just go talk to the newspapers, see if anyone else is interested in that-" The Mobian's diatribe was cut off as a gloved hand holding a cloth clamped down on his nose and mouth. An acrid smell assaulted his nostrils and Trevor's head struggled to get out of the grip for a few seconds before darkness swallowed him whole. The rat's body went limp in the arms of the G.U.N. soldier he'd been too busy to notice.

"Put that little pustule in the back," Snively ordered as Trevor was carried away. "At the very least my uncle shall have a new lab rat to play with."

* * *

"Sonic we were getting worried," Amy said as he blue beau dropped down into the water before her.

"Yeah, we were just about to go see if you needed our help," Manic added in.

"Nothing but a little delay," Sonic assured them as he put Tails down, away from his friends just in case the cub was still feeling a bit charged. The sound of rockets igniting soon came to all of their ears. "No time to catch up, all of you get out of here." Quickly the other Mobians took off down the tunnel, Sonia stopping as she noticed her brother had not moved.

"What are you…"

"Just get going, I'll catch up," Sonic waved dismissively. Unsure what he planned to do but trusting her brother, the pink hedgehog nodded and continued on her way. An explosion heralded several chunks of the street above collapsing into the sewer, creating a whole big enough to for the Egg-Hunters to enter. Like well oiled machines, each robot locked onto Sonic, just as the hedgehog wanted.

"Surfs up, bolt brains," the hedgehog said as he turned away from his pursuers and tucked himself into a ball. Spinning as hard as he could, the teenaged Mobian kicked up a startling amount of sewer water, spraying the Egg-Hunters with the putrid liquid. Though built waterproof, the machines were still not prepared for the sudden deluge and soon found their visual sensors struggling to compensate. Once he was satisfied his family had gained a sufficient headstart, Sonic allowed his body to sink into the mucky water so that it touched the ground, his quills grabbing traction as he jetted off.

Traveling at fantastic speeds, it didn't take him long to catch up with the others. Unfortunately, the trail also wasn't an overly difficult one to follow.

"We need to keep moving. It won't take those junkpiles long to catch up with us," he informed them. The five Mobians sloshed quickly and splashily through the sewer, startling several feral rats as they moved. More than once the younger members tripped over something unseen in the dim light, but they were still making fairly good time.

_'Hopefully we won't see that black hedgehog down here,'_ Tails thought as he cast a glance over his shoulder. In the darkness behind them he could barely make out several glowing red eyes. Whatever lead they had was being quickly overtaken. But there was something else at work as well, a presence similar to the pursuing robots', but at the same time different. The cub was debating whether or not to share this information when a red beam of energy shot past him into the water.

"Heads up, incoming metal heads!" Manic called. As if locking onto the hoglet's voice, another laser raced forward, intent on roasting the green hedgehog alive. It was deflected into the water by Amy's hammer, saving Manic's life. Sonic was prepared to hop back and see about dealing with the attackers when in the darkness before them another pair of electronic eyes glowed. Heavy footsteps came forwards as out of the gloom a new robot emerged. Superficially it looked to be a similar model to the pursuing Egg Hunters, with its spherical body and compressed, domed head. But the similarity ended there. Whereas the Hunters had spindly legs and arms, this robot's limbs were thick and sturdy, and its shoulders were massively broad, and a pair of what looked like pictures of horseshoes was painted on the metal armor.

Upon discovering the newcomer, the Egg Hunters stopped their attack, their eyes whirring and buzzing as they worked out their options. The newcomer had already figured out its own.

A long, heavy arm swung upward and instinctively Sonic ducked out of the way as, from the palm of the robot's three fingered hand, a gun barrel appeared. A burst of gunfire shot forward, cutting one of the five Egg Hunters in half as the other four dispersed. Lasers aimed as the new robot tromped forward, interposing itself between the Mobians and its cousins. Red light bounced off thick chest armor as a panel opened in the robot's side. A stinging whistle heralded the launch of a small missile that flew at the nearest Egg Hunter, clipping it and destroying one of its arms.

Unsure what was going on, but grateful for the distraction, Sonic prepared to hustle his group away, when he became aware of others in the darkness.

"Finally found you Hedgehog," the familiar voice of Mighty said as he stood before his blue friend. Next to the armadillo Espio stood, a pair of kunai in his hands as he watched the machines battle.

"Mighty? What the heck are you doing here?"

"Like I said, looking for you," the young criminal suddenly grabbed hold of Sonic and pulled him to the side to avoid a blast of laser fire. "Yo Omega, be more careful, not all of us are laserproof you know." The big robot looked back, its head swiveling behind it as it grabbed one of the others and effortlessly ripped it in half.

"Affirmative. Mission objectives updated," it called in a booming voice that seemed designed to grab attention. Their escape covered, Mighty gestured for the other Mobians to follow him as they left Omega to his work.

"What do you mean you were looking for us?" Amy asked, her eyes narrowing at the two gangsters as they walked. Espio caught her glare and returned it.

"I do not recall you being part of this conversation," the chameleon pointedly said.

"Woah, woah there Espy, there's no need to get snippy," Mighty told his partner. "The last thing we need is to start a fight."

"Amy does bring up a point, though, Might," Sonic returned, looking his old friend over. "Why were you looking for us?" The armadillo looked away for a moment, obviously trying to figure out what to say. He'd had a whole speech prepared, but that had been dependant on finding Sonic at his apartment. When the two Chaotix had found the building reduced to smoldering embers, Mighty had been frantic. Luckily a scan of the city by Charmy had revealed the activities of the Egg-Hunters, and the bee had been able to dispatch the Chaotix's secret weapon; Omega, to provide back-up. Now Sonic and company were safe, however, and that meant it was time to get back to business.

"Boss Vector wants to see you," he said bluntly. "He's heard some interesting rumors going around… about a certain fox with two tails." Brown eyes looked over to the cub in question, followed by emerald ones. "I don't think it's too much to say he's the reason I'm finding you here now, is it?"

"Ah, Mighty, not you too," Manic said in a voice near tears. Having already lost one idol today, the young hedgehog was quite afraid another was about to fall from grace. "You-You're just like Trevor!"

"Eh?"

"Trevor tried to make a quick buck off our situation," Sonic explained, falling into a defensive position. "You'll have to forgive us being a bit suspicious."

"Well that's one death warrant signed," Mighty sneered, thinking of what he would do to the rat if he ever found the Mobian again. "But this isn't like that. Boss Vector just wants to talk." Nearby Espio's kunai gleamed in the dim light, and the hedgehog could see the reptile beginning to use his camouflage abilities.

"We're running out of time armadillo," he hissed. "I doubt their pursuers are going to give us much more time to squabble."

"Hold it, hold it," Mighty begged, getting between the reptile and mammal as he tried to keep the peace. He looked back at Sonic. "How many times have I steered you wrong? You know you can trust me Sonic, we're almost family."

"That's what Trevor said before he tried to throw us to the wolves," Manic pointed out angrily. Mighty bit his tongue.

"I swear, all Boss Vector wants to do is talk to you about the kid. When have I ever lied to you? That has to be worth something." Behind him Sonic could hear the sound of heavy footsteps approaching. Omega had apparently dispensed with the last of the Egg Hunters and was coming to rejoin the group.

"That kinda falls flat when you have a walking weapons platform with you," the hedgehog pointed out.

"He's just back-up for the robots," Mighty replied as Omega waved its massive hand at them in what it probably considered a friendly gesture. "Please Sonic, I don't want this to become another fight. You need help and we can protect you, at least until you hear what we have to say." The blue hedgehog looked back at his ragged group. Muddy, wet, and most likely still very tired, nobody seemed ready for another round of fighting. He made his decision.

"You screw me on this Mighty, and you'll wish you'd never met me," Sonic pointed out. With that, the now seven Mobians and one giant robot continued down the sewer way.

To be Continued…


	9. A Chaotix Welcome

Author's Note: Yeah a new chapter. Experience the joy! It's time for you all to get to meet the final two members of the Chaotix; their resident hacker Charmy, and the Big Boss Man Vector. Hopefully you'll like the direction I took their characters in (or rather, like hating in the Charmster's case). There is one bit of something I'd like to say before we begin though. I know nothing of computer hacking, beyond what I've seen in movies which basically involves someone sitting at a computer watching code. -_- So if my depiction of Charmy's computer skills seems a bit inaccurate, please forgive me, I'm wading into unknown territory here. You're just gonna have to take my word for it that, despite the fact that I don't know what he's doing, Charmy does.

And with that little bit of self-depreciation over with, I'd like to thank all those people who have hung in there reading this very long story. Only Reversion appears to be longer than this one, and that'll change next chapter (unless I can figure out a way to unstymie Reversion. Seriously, nothing's coming to me). It's been very cool hearing from everyone, especially given how unpopular AU Sonic stories tend to be. Now then, ON WITH THE SHOW!

* * *

Chapter 8: Chaotix Welcome

Sauce dripped from the fluffy bit of egg sitting on the prongs of the fork, falling back down to the plate on which the bit of protein had once occupied and joined the small pool of liquid forming there. A rubbery looking red tongue snaked out to form a makeshift spoon for the escaping liquid as the fork moved forward and placed the egg inside a large mouth which closed slowly, trapping the morsel inside. The silver utensil slid easily out from between the two blubbery lips that held it, bereft of its cargo that was now fated for mastication and digestion. Powerful jaws moved up and down together, mixing the cooked food with saliva and delivering the flavorful molecules to eagerly waiting taste buds. A low moan of pleasure could be heard escaping from a throat that would soon be occupied.

'_Be there any food in the realms of Heaven, Earth, or Hell that can equal that of the egg?'_ Robotnik thought as he swallowed his food with a mild reluctance. The knowledge that its taste would fade was a disappointment, but the promise of more was just too much to ignore. Indeed once the demented Doctor had succeeded in conquering the world, there would be whole sanctuaries dedicated to the noble chicken, where they could live in peace and comfort while providing him with the ovoid delicacy he so enjoyed.

A metallic hand reached down to a second plate before him, lifting an English muffin smothered in rich butter to his lips. This too was topped with an egg, hardboiled and sliced but no less delectable. Again the human moaned his pleasure. Vaguely Robotnik remembered seeing movies featuring evil scientists; bald men with cats who attempted to espouse their superiority by reducing meals to a mere acquisition of nutrients. These supposedly brilliant men and women saw no difference between feasting on succulent cuisine and popping a ready-made pill of nutrients.

Robotnik scoffed at such nonsense.

What was the point of ruling the world, of even living, if one relegated one's self to eating things with the aesthetic appeal of cardboard? He was no mere animal, feeding simply to stay alive. Robotnik was an intelligent, powerful being, and his palate deserved nothing but the finest things life had to offer.

A fleshy hand reached forward and took hold of a stemmed glass filled with a dark, red liquid. The sharp, bitter taste of cranberry juice soon washed over the doctor's tongue, clearing away whatever remnant food particles remained. Snively didn't approve of his Uncle's eating habits, not that the little twit's opinion meant as much as an irritating flea's to the elder Robotnik. His nephew was always espousing the virtues of a clean, well balanced diet absent of fats, cholesterols, and all the other little things that made food enjoyable.

_'But of course one only has to look betwixt the two of us to see who's eating habits have led to prosperity and who's to "twerpitude,"'_ the diner thought with a dark chuckle. Enjoying his repast, Robotnik still managed to turn his attention to other matters. One did not become the undisputed master of the world simply by eating breakfast. With the click of a button, the television activated, its screen flickering to life.

And just like that Dr. Robotnik's good mood evaporated like so much ethereal smoke.

On the TV was the face of Kendal Andrews, his eyes looking, for him at least, intent and intelligent as behind him Robotnik could see a smoldering pile of scrap that looked sickeningly familiar.

"Though at first reported as unidentifiable," the anchorman said, his deep voice finally breaking through to Robotnik's wandering hearing, "contacts within the G.U.N. military have reported the robot to have been an 'Egg Hunter,' a tactical search and destroy drone used primarily in rugged terrain deemed too intractable for live searches. No official statement has yet been made by G.U.N. as to why the remains of ten of these machines have been found inside the city limits."

_ 'TEN!'_ Robotnik's mind screeched as he nearly choked on the bit of egg he'd been chewing on. Then the picture changed to another scene, a smoldering mansion that looked even more familiar as three more piles of parts were displayed.

"In addition to the collected seven found at the old Dunder and Head office building, three more were uncovered here in the home of Dr. Ovi Kintobor, potentially linking the downtown attack with the famous philanthropist's untimely death. This also on the heels of a reported third attack happening much earlier in the low rent district of the city that resulted in the utter devastation of an apartment building…" At this Robotnik ceased to listen, his mind full of the information he'd taken in.

Dead.

Dr. Ovi Kintobor was dead.

As he contemplated this turn of events one of Robotnik's eyes began to twitch. It did not take much to surmise whose misshapen hand was behind this disaster. Kintobor had been a variable in Robotnik's plan it was true; a potential problem if things did not resolve themselves quickly enough, yes, but he had been manageable. Now he was dead, and that would most likely throw up far bigger problems in the near future.

Robotnik's chest clenched as he felt a familiar rage building up inside of him. In his hand, the glass of cranberry juice shattered, the dark liquid flying everywhere, staining every surface it touched. Massive teeth ground together as the doctor rose from his chair, his fists shaking as he bellowed.

"Sniiiiiiivelyyyyyyy!"

* * *

"A new lead has surfaced for police however, as one of the hedgehogs spotted leaving Dr. Kintobor's home as it burned has been identified." A mug shot of Sonic appeared next to Kendall's head. "Ogilvie Maurice Hedgehog, aka 'Sonic,' is now being sought for questioning in connection to the attacks on Central. Though at this time no official speculation has been made as to this hedgehog's level of involvement, police are not ruling out the possibility that he could be at the heart of the attacks that have been plaguing our fair city…"

"Well, maybe not the heart, but definitely one of the lungs," Mighty joked as he shut off the television. If the looks the armadillo was getting said anything, his sense of timing left a lot to be desired. "Geez, try to cheer a guy up."

"You may have experience being a wanted criminal, but we don't," Amy pointed out. Mighty rolled his eyes at the girl's comment. Currently she, Mighty, Sonic, and Tails were sitting in a private room in the back of the nightclub the Chaotix called their base of operations. It was a proven fact that Boss Vector had an intrinsic love of music, so this was not an overly big surprise to anyone who knew him. Heck, Mighty had gotten Sonic on the guest list a few times for dates with Amy, wanting to help his best friend impress the pink hedgehog. Amy might not have liked the armadillo, but that didn't stop him from thinking her a good fit for Sonic.

Once again Sonic cast a look at the door, something Mighty noticed.

"Not thinking of running, are ya?" he asked, his muscles tensing. The leader of the Chaotix had made it clear he wanted to have a sit down with the blue Mobian, and what the croc wanted, he tended to get.

"Little worried about Manic and Sonia," Sonic finally admitted.

"Don't be, Espio will take good care of them," his friend assured him.

"Yeah, define 'good care' in Espy's lingo." A knock came from the door as it opened slightly, admitting a stout bulldog wearing a muscle shirt, jeans, and a spiked belt, collar, and wrist guards. Sonic was almost surprised he didn't complete the look with spiked shoes, but the Mobian was barefoot.

_'Probably walks on broken glass to show how tough he is,'_ the hedgehog thought, recognizing someone overcompensating way too much.

"Boss Vector is ready to see ya," the bulldog said in a low growl, then added, "Blue boy only, Pinkie and the kid stay put." Like a shot Amy was up.

"No, wherever Sonic goes, I'm going too."

"And if Vec wants to talk to me about Tails, he should get to sit in on it too," Sonic retorted. The bulldog shook his head.

"Not my problem. The boss only wants one of ya, so that's what he's gettin'." He said in a voice that made it clear he'd enforce his employer's order. Mighty was quick to defuse the situation.

"Sonic I told you, Vector just wants to talk. You don't have to be so suspicious of us." Sonic closed his eyes, thinking this over. Even if he didn't like the situation, there was little he could do now about it. Vector had never done anything overtly malicious towards the hedgehog, in fact he'd helped Sonic out quite a few times, even if only at Mighty's bequest. The teen was fairly sure if his host had some dirty trick in mind for his guests, he'd have sprung it by now.

"Fine, I'll go in alone."

"Sonic…"

"We're in their ballpark Ames; we play by their rules for now. Besides, I trust Mighty. I know he wouldn't let me just walk into a trap." Sonic stared directly into his oldest friend's eyes, and the armadillo stared steadily back. If there was danger here, Mighty was completely ignorant of it. "Mighty, mind taking Amy and Tails to wherever Espio's got my sibs stashed?"

"No prob, Sonic," the red-shelled Mobian said, bowing towards Amy as his arms indicated the way. The pink hedgehog still gave him a suspicious look.

"Just remember, Muscles, I'm watching you and this hammer hits a lot harder than you'd think," she warned as she proceeded forward, holding onto Tails's hand. Mighty rolled his eyes and chuckled as he led the way. Now alone with his escort, Sonic approached the bulldog. The two Mobians moved at a brisk but even pace through the short hallway, coming soon to a freight elevator. Sonic entered the box, followed by his companion, and the car began to rise.

Now that he was alone, Sonic began to relax a bit. A discreet glance behind the bulldog's back revealed the handle of a handgun sticking out of his pants. He also spotted a camera glaring down at them, no doubt there to monitor the elevator's occupants.

"Hey, ya think ol' Vec's watching us?" the hedgehog asked his companion, grinning and waving at the camera. The bulldog growled.

"If I were you, I'd show a bit more respect, considerin' who you're going to see." Sonic rolled his eyes. He'd met members of the Chaotix like this, loyalists who were quite sure Vector was the greatest thing since chili-dogs. They tended to be people recruited from the bottom rung of society, the ones life had kicked down and then stood on the throats of. Vector gave these people jobs, albeit illegal ones, and a way to keep themselves from dying in the street. The side effect to this was that such Mobians were very quick to take offense on the crocodile's behalf.

The elevator's bell dinged, signaling they'd arrived at the top of the building. With a grunt the bulldog pulled open the door and walked Sonic to the next one, ushering the hedgehog inside.

As far as penthouse offices went, Vector's was on the small side. This was by design. He'd had the good fortune to be born a crocodile, one of the biggest of the Mobian races, a genetic history that boasted a generous amount of both height and muscle mass. This, combined with his ancient reptilian features, gave him a rather intimidating appearance, something he wasn't about to waste in order to make someone else feel at home in his presence. The office had the effect of enhancing this, making the crime boss seem even bigger.

As soon as Sonic was in the office the door closed, the bulldog making no move to enter himself. No doubt he would be standing guard outside, just in case the hedgehog decided to get problematic. Vector sat at his desk, his eyes closed and his fingers woven together as his head bobbed in rhythm to whatever he was listening to on his ever present headphones.

Or that was what the croc no doubt intended for people to think. If there had been anything going on in his headphones, his tail would have been thumping to the beat. Odds were the kingpin's "closed" eyes were actually just slitted, and he was calmly watching his visitor. With a quick step Sonic moved up to the desk, sitting in the chair that was set up for him.

A minute passed. Then another. Then another. Slowly Sonic began to wonder if he'd been wrong about Vector. Suddenly, two yellow eyes were open as the crime boss gazed at his diminutive guest.

"Well, well, well," he began in a gruff voice that still sounded too high for someone of Vector's stature. "I gotta say; you seem to have gotten yourself into a pretty pickle; least if what I'm hearin' 's true."

"You don't know the half of it," Sonic muttered. His legs were still sore from all the running he'd done.

"I prob'bly know more than you think," Vector pointed out. "You've been makin' a lot of waves in the underworld, ya know? All onna 'count of that extra rugrat ya picked up." Vector got up and turned his back to Sonic, looking out of the big window that was behind him. It wasn't a particularly good view of the city, far too many old and ugly buildings, but Sonic knew the effect trying to be created. Vector was a big fan of the old gangland movies. "I really wish ya'd had the sense ta contact me 'bout this."

"I wasn't aware I needed someone to watch out for me," Sonic quipped, causing Vector to turn his head slowly to look at the hedgehog, a scaly eye cocked. "Look, I didn't really think it was that big a deal. He was just some lost kid who wanted to go home." A sharp laugh escaped the toothy mouth.

"Yeah, he's jus' some lost kid an' I'mma gecko that took steroids," the crime boss postulated. "Do you even know who it is lookin' ta whack you an' take the kid?"

"We've met. Some bulb-headed human with more oil on him than an eel. Guy's got military connections I guess, that's why he could send those Egg-Hunter bots after us." Again the croc laughed.

"Man an' you say I don' know the halfa it." A hand grabbed Vector's chin as he grinned a bit, the grin of someone possessed of knowledge that someone else might deem important. "Can't be a hundred percent sure about it, but I'm guessin' the 'bulb-head' ya met was a geek name a' Colin Robotnik. At least that's who my informants tell me 's been offerin' up rewards for info on your fox friend." Again Vector sat down. "Guy's also called 'Snively,' jus' not where he can hear it I'm told. If ya catch my drift." Sonic's eyes skewed for a bit as he searched his memory.

"Nope, doesn't ring any bells. What is he, like some sort of government windbag?"

"Worse, he's the head of a corporation called Cyberon. Ten to one odds, THEY'RE the ones responsible for everything that's going on."

"'Cyberon?'" the hedgehog asked, his tongue twisting around the name. "Never heard of them."

"Don' imagine that you would've. Cyberon's not exactly an open and public company. Their biggest client is the government, or more specifically G.U.N. Ya know all them fun little 'toys' the military's got? You look close enough at any of 'em, chances are Cyberon's logo 's somewhere on board."

"How do you know so much about them?"

"'Cause I'm a smart croc who keeps his earholes to the ground," Vector responded. "An' if you're gonna make your living dealin' in merch of… questionable origin, it sometimes pays to know a bit 'bout the original owner."

"Okay, well, thanks for the heads up. Now I know who to go have a chat with," Sonic said as he hopped up from the chair and turned to leave.

"Ya honestly think it's gonna be that easy?" the green lizard asked. "If you do, you're a bigger idiot than anyone I ever met." Sonic turned again to look at the crocodile. "This is a multi-billion dollar company, with some real major ties to the government. You, you're jus' some scruffy, blue hedgehog with a chip on his shoulder. What're ya gonna be able to do to them that won't land you in jail? Or worse; the morgue?"

"I can go to the cops," Sonic finally suggested. "Tell 'em what's been going on, that Cyberon's doing something underhanded. Heck, Tails is proof of that."

"Proof of what?" Vector asked, though his tone made it apparent this was a rhetorical question. Sonic ignored that fact as he pressed onward.

"Kidnapping, what else?"

"Ha. An' you really think that's gonna do anythin'?"

"How about destruction of property?"

"They're already workin' on pinning the blame for that on you. Hell, a case could be made they were just trying to get a potentially valuable resource back from you and you resisted."

"You can't own someone else," the hedgehog stated definitively. The look he gave Vector intensified. "Not legally anyway."

"You sure 'bout that? There's a lotta legal gray area where Mobians are concerned. Get one of us who's feral enough an' it's not too big a stretch to call him an animal with thumbs."

"Tails… Miles isn't a Feral. He's as sane as you or me."

"An' Cyberon's prob'ly got reams of data to prove you wrong an' say he's just playing at bein' intelligent. An' before you'd be able to blink, they'd have the kid back in a pen somewhere an' you'd be a 'plop'-ing sound comin' outta the river. Cyberon's not gonna make this easy fer ya. Kid who can reduce a battle robot to spare parts without touching it hasta be a valuable prize to own."

"And you know about that how?"

"Charmy hacked the hunter's visuals. That's how Mighty was able to innercept you. We just couldn' interrupt their programming without giving ourselves away."

"Gee, thanks," Sonic snipped back. The he leaned over the back of his chair. "So then, what do you suggest Vec?"

"Vector, an' that all depends." The crime boss slouched back into his chair, his hands crossing as he gave Sonic an appraising look. "Whatever the case may be, this much attention bein' paid aroun' my base of operations idn't good for business. A lot of people kinda depend on the Chaotix for their income. They'd prob'ly feel I'd have a responsibility to bounce both the kid and you into Cyberon's lap." At Vector's words the hedgehog tensed. Somewhere in the distance, Sonic could swear he heard the sound of a gun cocking, several of them in fact. Suddenly Vector chuckled. "Relax, Sonic, if I was gonna do that, I'd hardly need to bring ya to my office. Besides," the croc grinned, showing off rows of sharp, nasty teeth, "a kid like that wouldn't exactly be an unwelcomed resource for us." Now it was Sonic's turn to laugh.

"You wanna turn the kid into a criminal? Him? Boy hasn't got a nasty bone in his body, let alone one aggressive enough to make him wanna hurt others for money."

"So you say. I think the fact he was willin' to involve you an' your family in this fiasco just to protect himself shows a remarkable selfish streak."

"He didn't have a choice," Sonic defended.

"Sure he didn't. He just happened to stumble across the one guy who'd take him in and stand up to Egg-Hunters for him."

"He wants to go home, back to his parents."

"Assuming they even want a weirdo like him back," came a new voice as a small form buzzed past Sonic's head, hovering over Vector's desk before coming in for a landing. A small bee dressed in what looked to be a cargo vest and fingerless gloves on his hands stared back at him, an almost leer on his face as he regarded Vector's guest. Sonic recognized him as Charmy, the resident tech-head of the Chaotix.

He was also their resident bratty sidekick-in-training.

"Hello Charmy," the hedgehog droned without much effort. Sonic already had to deal with one smart-alecky kid in his life, he had little patience for another. Especially one who seemed to actively work to get under people's skins like the bee did.

"Ya got news for me kiddo?" Vector asked of his little ward. Charmy turned around, careful not to let his shoes scuff the desktop. He'd been warned about getting too careless.

"I got us a link into the city's mainframe, just like you asked. We're just waiting on you to activate it. Even I can't keep the snoopers off our back forever after we go in, so time's gonna be a factor."

"You're uplinking with the Central mainframe?" Sonic asked, curious as to whether or not this had anything to do with him.

"Yeah, I figured it was time to try to get answers on your little friend," Vector said as he rose from his chair. Sonic straightened up as the big croc walked past him, Charmy trailing in the air behind him. "You should be thankin' me," Vector said as he led them back towards the elevator, "there aren't a lotta people with the resources to do this an' for gratis."

"You aren't a charity, Vec, don't expect me to pretend you are."

"Well if you're so ready to pay us back maybe you want to write us a check," Charmy shot back from where he now stood on Vector's shoulder. A hand reached over and closed the bee's mouth, yellow eyes giving him a warning to behave.

"You're right, of course," Vector answered as the elevator sank downwards, "the Chaotix is not a charity, it's a business, just like any other. But that doesn't mean we're not community responsible an' that fox of yours presents a rather big problem for the community."

"He's just a kid," the hedgehog reasserted.

"A kid who vapes robots an' has highly armed people comin' after him. That spells 'problem' in my book, even if I was just an ordinary citizen. An' again, because I'm not an or'nary citizen, that means I don't just reflexively bounce both your butts over to the police." Soon the trio came to the back of the club, private offices and storerooms used in the gang's less legitimate activities. Nothing here was outright illegal, Vector wasn't stupid after all, but you didn't need to be a world class detective to figure out what didn't belong. Vector opened one of the doors and Charmy flew in before anyone else could.

"HEY!" the bee suddenly screamed, causing both the crocodile and hedgehog to start. Vector slammed open the door, his hand reaching behind his back and under his suit jacket to the holster he wore. Inside the room Charmy hovered in indignant rage as he stared at where Mighty and Manic were standing on what looked to be a giant mat. Two sets of four arrows, pointing up, down, left, and right, adorned each half of the mat, while on the television before the two Mobians a picture of two stylized figures stood as arrows danced across the screen for them. "Who told you you could play with my stuff?" the bee squawked as behind him Vector groaned. Off to the side Espio snickered, shaking his horned head. With an angry look on his face the tech-head zipped over to the television and struck a little box sitting next to it, the red light on its front blinking as he did so. The picture on the TV went blank for a minute before displaying the game's start screen.

"Ah man, we were just about to win that one too," Manic groaned, glaring at the bee.

"Way to spaz out, Charmless," Mighty chided. "We were just killing time till you got back."

"My stuff is MY stuff, Dillo. As in private property. No clammy hands."

"Man what a brat," Manic whispered to the nearby Tails.

"Yeah, I'm a brat just 'cause I don't want you're dirty, greasy hands all over my cool toys," the bee bit back, sticking out his tongue. Manic took a step towards Charmy, his hands balled into fists.

"Who you calling dirty and greasy you little…" Before the green hedgehog could make it to his quarry, he was startled as a thrown kunai buried its blade into the floor right before him. Like a cannonball Sonic was on Espio, pinning the chameleon to the wall.

"Enough," Vector said, his voice full of authority as his face communicated just how little patience he had left for all of this.

"Tell your hitman here not to throw knives at my brother," Sonic responded; his eyes never leaving Espio.

"Tell your brother to control his temper," Espio retorted, "especially when he's in the wrong." The chameleon's mind was already working out the best way to break Sonic's hold, and if necessary take him out. Orders or not, ninja couldn't just let themselves be beaten so easily. Two strong hands each grabbed the chameleon and hedgehog's shoulders as Mighty looked at the two.

"You should both calm down," he said evenly, his grip making it clear he could enforce this edict. "Manic isn't hurt, and Charmy wouldn't have been hurt. I think you both over-reacted here." It took a minute, but the armadillo felt it as his friends' muscles relaxed. A breath of relief escaped Mighty's lips; he really didn't like having to play peacekeeper. The enforcer then turned his head towards the bee that had started this all. "And for the record Charmless, you are a brat." Charmy crossed his arms and blew a raspberry at the armadillo.

"Ah-hem," Vector coughed rather loudly. "Now that that's over with, how 'bout we get back on task?"

"All right, all right," Charmy said sulkily as he flew over to a desk that also occupied the room. A large computer monitor sat on the desk, flying toasters indicating that the computer it was attached to was in standby mode. That each of the toasters bore Charmy's face indicated who the system's owner was, at least in theory. Charmy sat down in the small chair before the monitor, pulling out a sliding shelf that held a small keyboard sized for his little hands. The push of a button removed the toasters.

"So what are we doing?" Amy asked. "Nobody was willing to share any information with us."

"Vector's gonna have Charmy try to find some info on Tails," Sonic explained, causing the aforementioned fox's ears to perk up a bit more. Amy shook her head.

"I already tried that with the citizen registry. I couldn't find anything." This got a laugh out of Charmy.

"Oh well, I suppose this is all just a lost cause then, isn't it," the bee mocked. "I mean if some nurse can't find anything, what hope does a professional like me have." A hand came down on the little hacker's shoulder as Vector's head lowered to look him in the eye.

"Charmy-boy, what did I tell you 'bout disrespectin' ladies?" the croc warned, glaring at the techie. Charmy breathed in.

"I'm sorry Ms. Rose," he said through a clenched jaw, sounding for all the world like he was pulling teeth. Having gotten an apology, Vector released his young ward and Charmy went back to his work. "Okay, so as… Ms. Rose… said, she's already tried to look for your friend in the registry and didn't have any luck. That tells me that someone's probably gone in and hidden the data."

"Ha, some genius," Manic commented. Charmy turned around in his chair to look at the hedgehoglet.

"I'm sorry, what do you think we should do? Go down to a government building and smash in a few windows?" The bee turned back around. "Of course, we can't just go looking for the missing info, especially if someone's gone to the trouble of hiding it. That'd just be naïve."

"Charmy…"

"Right, right. Anyway, since the Chaotix doesn't technically have the right to access the government's files, I've had to set up a few dummy accounts to get us what we need."

"You mean like fake names and ids?" Sonic asked. He'd seen a lot of spy movies where hackers had done just that and a part of him was wondering just how in depth they were going to go. Charmy laughed at the hedgehog's statement.

"Please, that kinda stuff is only for the movies. An ID with nobody at the other end of it practically screams someone dangerous was there. Better to use a real person's information and set the account up around them."

"Doesn't that get someone else in trouble?" Tails asked.

"If possible."

"Wait," the fox began, "I don't want someone else to be attacked because of me. Can't you do it some other way?" The Chaotix tech-head let out an exasperated sigh.

"Look, don't worry your fuzzy little head, okay," he said in his most condescending voice. "The idea isn't to just toss whoever to the wolves, he's just a way to keep the cops from being led back to us. I'm gonna use my talents to keep anyone watching the net for these inquires from spotting the avatar." The bee swiveled around in his chair to look at the fox. "Anymore dumb questions?" Tails's ears lay back against his head as he turned away.

"You know if he can pull apart a robot like the ones that were after us, I think a little squirt like you would probably be a breeze," Manic sniped back, sneering at the conceited insect. If the look that crossed Charmy's face was any indication, this thought had not actually crossed the techie's mind, and he quickly turned back to his computer.

"Uh, what say we get this little show on the road," the bee announced, activating the program that would link his system to Central's. At once the screen demanded identification and a password, information Charmy obligingly entered. Before moving on, the young hacker moved the window and accessed another icon from the desktop, a program referenced as "Scatterbrain," which Charmy explained would utilize the network link to bounce any tracer programs that tried to track them into the ethers of cyberspace.

Once more the link to Central's mainframe was brought to the fore, the bee moving between the icons to the folders marked out for the Citizens Registry. Tails held his breath as he watched the word "Prower" being entered into the search engine, unaware that while his eyes were glued to the screen, a pair of yellow reptilian eyes were watching him. Just as with Amy, only two names appeared to answer the search engine's call, neither of which had the first name of "Miles." Charmy chuckled as he looked at this.

"Well, either you're lying about who you are, fox-boy, or someone's hidden your data."

"We knew this already," Sonic pointed out, getting somewhat tired of Charmy's attitude. "How about finding something we don't?"

"Give him time, Sonic," Vector counseled. "Charmy knows his job, an' he also knows not to get a swollen head before it's done." Looking at his guardian, Charmy let out a sigh. It was time to cut the jokes and work.

"Okay, so I assume you actually tried to access one of these two files, Ms. Rose?"

"Yes."

"That's probably what alerted Cyberon to you in the first place." A hand clicked the mouse and the citizen file for one Amadeus Prower opened up. An instant later a new window popped up on the screen as Scatterbrain warned of an attempted trace. Quickly Charmy made sure the program had been countered before continuing onward. "So this guy's supposed to be your Dad, huh?" Charmy moved his overly large head out of the way of the screen, revealing a picture of a rather distinguished looking fox being displayed on the monitor. He had red fur at the top of his head and his eyes were a light green, but despite that there was definitely a certain resemblance between him and the cub currently standing in the room. Tails squinted his eyes, trying to get a firmer picture in his head of what his father should look like, but the image that came to mind was quite fuzzy.

"Yes, yes that's him," the fox responded, nodding his head to emphasize this, and hide whatever uncertainty he might've felt. Charmy moved over to the part of Amadeus's file that listed his relatives, of which only one was so listed.

Rosemary Andrea Silver-Prower. Wife.

The click of a mouse button brought up her file as well, the same file that had appeared alongside Amadeus's in the search for Prowers. This time the picture of a vixen displayed on the screen, possessed of much softer features than her husband and dark blue eyes that gave her a rather intense look. Under the heading for known relatives the name Amadeus Prower predictably appeared, but just as in her husband's file, no mention of a son was made.

"Care to change your story?" Charmy asked Tails, a grin on his face. The fox's brow furrowed.

"I keep telling you; I AM ME. I am Miles Prower. That's my name." As he spoke the cub's voice wavered a bit, clearly upset at once more having to defend his assertions.

"No one's saying you're not, kid," Vector asserted, beating Sonic to the punch. "We're just pointing out that there is apparently evidence to the contrary."

"Emphasis on apparently," Charmy chimed in as he tapped away at his keyboard. "According to this, these aren't the original files… or they're actually the ones from before you were born. Someone changed the files."

"You can tell that?"

"According to the administrator's logs somebody accessed them about three years ago and changed the data. Let me see if I can find the edits." Again the bee went to work, typing in commands to the computer. Occasionally he would stop as a warning window opened telling him of another attempt to trace his progress, but this never slowed him down for too long. After a few more minutes, the bee's head nodded a bit. "Amateurs," he said with contempt. "I don't know who they got to make these changes, but they shoulda paid more. All they did was delete the data."

"Isn't that enough?"

"Hardly. Nothing gets deleted in cyberspace, not unless you reformat the whole system, and the government's not gonna do that unless they're having a major overhaul." More keystrokes were made, Charmy's small hands moving like a blur of motion. Another window soon opened on the screen. "Ten to one if we look into the back-up files for the system, we'll find a different story."

"Don't get too involved kid. A good ninja doesn't stick around longer than he has to," Espio cautioned the little bee.

"Maybe, but a good hacker doesn't leave any info he can use behind." The new window displayed several glowing strings of letters over a black background. From what little Sonic himself knew of computers, they looked to be directories of some kind. It was little problem for the highspeed hedgehog's eyes to read each line as they screen automatically scrolled downward, though it still remained gibberish to him.

"What's this?"

"Like I told you, back-ups. Older bits of data that's kept here if the system ever needs to be rebooted. That way the government isn't out all their files. Bingo!" The scrolling stopped as a specific line of letters was highlighted, the words Amadeus Prower prominent within them. "Let's just see if we can open this file up without any problems." Again the face of Amadeus Prower was displayed upon the screen, though he looked a bit younger from his previous photo. The assembled Mobians stared at the screen. Right there under the heading for Relatives, after Rosemary's own name the computer displayed the words "Miles Prower (son)."

"Ha! I told you I was Miles Prower," Tails said in triumph, finally feeling validated.

"Relax kid, this just proves there is a Miles Prower, not that you're him," Espio pointed out.

"Maybe, but you gotta admit it wouldn't make much sense for someone to make a change like this if ol' Miles was just sitting somewhere," Mighty responded to his teammate.

"Guys, guys, there's an easy way to find out. We pull up the file and look at his picture. If freaky fox-boy over here doesn't match up, then we know something ain't kosher."

"But the file's gone, isn't it?" Manic asked. Charmy sighed.

"No. I told you, the file is still there. Someone just hid it and then made its links disappear by doctoring the 'rent's files. I'll show you." The bee's hand moved the mouse over to highlight Miles's name. Suddenly a scaly green hand gripped his wrist.

"You sure this is a good idea, Charmy?" Vector asked of his ward. "Someone went to a lot of trouble to hide this file, an' we already know Cyberon's involved. They're a lot of things, but push-overs they are not."

"Relax boss-man, I designed this system myself. No way anyone's gonna be able to get through MY security, I'd stake my reputation on it." With that declaration, Charmy activated the link.

And then things started going to Hell in a hand-basket.

Suddenly the screen was dominated by what looked like two pairs of glowing red eyes glaring out at them. A second later Charmy's firewall program flashed onto the screen, warning of multiple security problems. This was soon followed by several other programs activating, each flashing the same message.

The Chaotix's system was being invaded.

"Crap, crap, crap!" Charmy barked as his fingers tapped away at the keyboard. "There was a virus waiting for us!"

"I thought you said that wouldn' be a problem," Vector responded, squinting to watch what the bee was doing.

"It isn't… It shouldn't be… The program should have been quarantined, frozen, stopped the moment it was detected. My security is impenetrable."

"Should we cut the power?"

"NO! The virus is spreading, infecting everything networked in this building," Charmy chirped as he searched for a way to stop his attacker. "I've got the best chance of stopping it from this computer."

"What happens if this virus can't be stopped?" Vector asked.

"Its… its stealing all our data. I mean completely transferring it to whatever system it came from. If I can't stop it, whoever owns it is gonna grab everything we have…"

"That would be the end of the Chaotix!" Mighty realized, though Vector shook his head.

"Not hardly, but it would be a nasty blow. What do we have to do to stop it?"

"I can handle…"

"Now Charmy!" The bee paused for only a moment as a distressed look crossed his face.

"Everything here is wireless, so you gotta turn off the router we use to connect to the outside up in your office."

"I'm on it," Sonic said as he raced out of the room, shooting off down the hallway at an impressive speed.

"He doesn't have to do that, I can handle this. My attack programs will reduce this virus to bits and then I'll get this under control."

"I don't want to take any chances. Once the connections are cut, then you can clear out the system, but I'm not riskin' everybody for somethin' like this, 'specially if we have a way to prevent it."

"But…" Charmy watched as the icon indicating his connection to the internet was now gone. Sonic had apparently reached the router. With a dejected sigh, the bee went back to work, his task somewhat easier now that the invading virus was not able to renew itself through its outside connection. Vector turned towards Tails.

"Well, it would seem that lying or not, that name you've taken is rather important," he said, looking down at the cub. Tails gulped a bit, unsure of how bigger Mobian was taking what had happened to his computer. Slowly he began to sidle towards Amy.

"You said something called Cyberon was involved in this," Amy pointed out, "like you've dealt with them before. What do you know about them?"

"I know they're a tough nut to crack. Always have top notch security whenever they ship anythin'. They were behind the development of the chameleon trackers like the one Espio… had. An' they've got a lot of connections to the gover'ment."

"So why go after a Mobian cub?" Sonic asked as he returned to the room. Vector grabbed his chin and closed his eyes, walking silently over to the couch and sitting down.

"That's the puzzling part," he responded. "Cyberon's area of expertise is robotics. Machines, computers, and such. They've never had an interest in bio-tech, least that I've seen."

"Not like they would be the first company to want to expand," Espio pointed out.

"Dr. Kintobor thought he was being used for medical experiments," Sonic supplied. "I know that kind of thing goes on."

"Not as often as the media likes to make out. Mobians don't always match up with humans enough to be viable test subjects, an' any company testing out drugs on our kind is likely seeing us as the customer base, so they're not in'erested in kidnappin'."

"Or buying," Charmy added, a touch of bitterness in his voice.

"Buying?" Sonia asked. "Who would sell someone else?" Suddenly her eyes narrowed as she looked at the Chaotix. "Or am I answering my own question?"

"That's outta line. We've never gone around selling people," Mighty was quick to defend. "You wanna blame someone for that, blame the parents."

"What?"

"Not so hard to imagine," Vector explained. "Mom an' Dad have a bunch of kids, but can't make ends meet. They pick out the one they think they can do without, make a deal with some back alley doctor, an' then they get an influx of cash while suddenly forgetting their litter of four used to be five."

"That's barbaric," Sonia said in a condemning voice.

"Maybe, but only if you're the one spending the rest of your life in a lab. From the parents' point of view there's one less mouth to feed now an' the remainin' kids have a shot at staying alive."

"Of course sometimes the one that gets sacrificed turns out to be the brains of the bunch," Charmy interjected with a sneer. "And then when he escapes the lab he got shut in he might find a group that see just how good he can be. Then the parents start wishing they'd done something smarter than playing frelling 'Wheel of Fortune' with their kids to see who stays and who goes, 'cause now he's not really interested in helping out his so-called family." A purple hand came to rest on the bee's small shoulder, squeezing it a bit as Charmy bit back a few tears. He was not about to show weakness in front of outsiders, and a part of him was grateful Espio was only do the minimal amount to comfort him.

"Of course I somehow doubt Tails here was the subject of research to find the cure for anythin'. He was changed, altered so that he could do what he did to that robot. We just don't know how." At that point Sonic realized something.

"The stone," he said quietly, though everybody heard it. Tails looked at Sonic, his hand unconsciously moving to the only thing the hedgehog could have been talking about. "Every time something weird happens around you, that stone starts glowing. It was just the last time that it got really bright. And when I had it in my hand back at the apartment, it… did something to me. It showed me things. I thought I was just tired from what happened the day before, but it was the stone." A snap was heard as Mighty's fingers moved.

"That red guy I thumped back at the mall. He had a stone too; a red one."

"Yeah, I remember that," Sonic concurred. "He pulled it outta his mu-mu thing and said something, then I saw stars."

"Think they could be the same?" Mighty asked.

"Or at the very least similar," Vector decided. "And if that's the case, it might not be so much you they're after kid, but your little neck pin. Which might be good news for you, since you'll become significantly less interesting without it." The crocodile extended his hand towards the fox, his yellow gaze staring straight into the vulpine's blue eyes. "I would like to see that stone." Tails's ears flattened against his head as his grip on the yellow gem tightened and he took a step backwards.

"No," the cub said quietly, shaking his head. Vector's eyes reduced to slits.

"Espio." At the sound of his name Espio disappeared as his natural cloaking ability took effect. Sonic moved to try to block the invisible ninja, only for Mighty to reluctantly grab hold of him instead.

Suddenly Tails's cloak rose around him, a tendril of fabric shooting out and wrapping around a seemingly empty space above him. A second tendril rose and also wrapped around air. Gradually Espio faded back into view, Tails's cloak now clearly wrapped around his waist and his right arm, which Sonic couldn't help but notice held a knife.

The ninja struggled for a bit, glaring down at the cub as he tried to wriggle out of the fabric's grip. The chameleon quickly opened his mouth, his long, sticky tongue flying forward to strike Tails in the chest. The tongue quickly wrapped around the gem, yanking it off Tails's cloak. Immediately the garment went slack, dropping the ninja who landed gracefully on the ground before handing the pilfered stone over to his boss.

"Give it back, give it back!" Tails wailed racing over to the croc only to be held back by Espio who pressed the cub against his body.

"Gentle Espio; he's a guest, not a captive," Vector warned as he turned his attention to the gem. In the crime boss's hands the jewel sparkled a bit, but no more than any other stone its size would have. He turned it over, gazing into its many facets as he inspected his prize. Then he closed his hand into a fist. "I don't suppose there's some sort of command you need to give to make this thing work, is there?"

"I-I don't know. I didn't do anything last time, it just… happened," Tails responded. "Please, just give it back to me."

"Kid, I'm tryin' to help. If it really is this trinket that Cyberon's after, it'll be a helluva lot easier to sneak you back home without it." Vector held up his fist, aiming the stone at a printer that was in the room. For a few moments the croc stood like that, trying to will whatever power was within the gem to show itself. Finally he stopped. "Hmm, it would seem this rock is just a rock, at least without Mr. Prower here. An' since Espy isn't wrapped up like a mummy by that cape of yours, I'm guessin' without the rock, you're no more powerful than any other lil' boy," the crime boss concluded. Vector nodded his head and Espio released Tails, then he handed back the cub's stone. On the other side of the room Mighty too released Sonic, just in time for the hedgehog to punch the armadillo in the stomach.

"Ack! What was that for?" Mighty asked, rubbing his now sore stomach. The punch hadn't really been that hard, at least in comparison to some Mighty had felt before, but it had caught the enforcer by surprise.

"Picking the wrong side with me," Sonic snapped as he moved over to Tails to make sure he was okay. Satisfied his charge had come to no harm by Espio, Sonic looked at his siblings. "Manic, Sonia, get up, we're outta here."

"I wouldn't advise that," Vector said in that calm, quiet voice used by people who were absolutely sure of their advice.

"Yeah, I'm not real interested in listening to your advice right now, handbag," Sonic snipped back hotly. Vector shook his head.

"You're too hotheaded," he surmised. "An' you jump too quickly to conclusions. Right now I'm your best friend, an' you just wanna make it harder for me to help you 'cause you're a little cheesed off at me."

"I don't need your help," the hedgehog returned as he began to lead his group out of the room. Espio looked to his boss, wondering if he should stop the hedgehogs, when Vector spoke again.

"Really? You don't need my help? Exac'ly how long do you think you're goin' to last without it?" Sonic stopped in the doorway. "Like it or not, Cyberon almost got you last time. If I hadn't let Charmy send Omega, you wouldn' be here right now. An' now you wanna go back out and let that happen again?"

"This time I know who I'm dealing with."

"That's less than nothing. Cyberon's got resources they can throw at you that can make your life a living hell without even battin' an eye. An' while you might be a match for what they've got waiting, you're not alone. How long before a lucky shot gets your brother or sister? Neither one of them 's what I'd call a combatant, but you wanna drag them into a potential war?" Sonic's shoulders slumped but he did not turn around. The three children looked up at him, trying to figure out what he'd decide.

"You know the boss is right, Son," Mighty added, though he stayed out of his friend's reach in case the blue Mobian was still angry with him.

"I don't like this," Sonic replied. "I don't like this one bit."

"You're not supposed to. It's a crappy hand you've been dealt, no one's gonna deny it. But I might point out you didn't exactly make the wisest choice when you took that kid in." Sonic glared at Vector. The last thing he needed was the crime boss's version of an ethics lesson. The croc seemed to get the message. "All right, all right. Look, for now you're safe enough here, so you all might as well rest. Tell my boys if you need anything to eat or such and they'll get it for ya."

"What are you going to do?" Sonic asked; suspicion rising in his mind as Vector walked past him to leave. The croc waved his hand.

"I'm gonna go make some calls to some people I know. Somethin' ain't kosher about this situation, and I need to get some info before we make our next move. Mighty, Espio, make sure everyone's comfy here."

"Vector, I'm not a babysitter," the chameleon complained.

"Don't think of it as babysitting, think of it as being a bodyguard," Mighty joked as Vector closed the door. Then the armadillo turned back towards his friends, or at least the hedgehogs he hoped were still his friends, and clapped his hands. "So, looks like you guys are gonna be our guests for a bit."

"Lucky us," Amy said in a snarky voice.

"Ah come on Ames, it's not so bad," the hired muscle proclaimed, walking over to the nurse and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Better us than Cyberon, right?" This seemed to fail to impress her. "Look, you guys are tired. It's been a rough couple of days. How about we get you guys some grub, you relax a bit, and we look at this with fresh smiles."

"I'm not hungry," the pink hedgehog stated. Almost immediately the sound of a gurgling stomach seemed to tell a different story. Amy's eyes squinted. "That wasn't me," she asserted. Nearby Manic sheepishly held up his hand.

"Heh-heh, guilty." Mighty smiled.

"Hey Espio, we got anything we can feed this little black hole?" the armadillo asked his partner. The chameleon, who'd been leaning against a wall with his eyes closed, suddenly became animate.

"I suppose it wouldn't be too much trouble for me to go grab some sandwiches from that shop down the street. They should be open by now," he conceded, though secretly he was glad for the opportunity to leave. Espio didn't like large groups of people, and Charmy's little "playroom" had been rather crowded for a bit. Upon hearing the promise of food, the little hacker ceased his work and turned his chair around.

"Oooh, get me a turkey with honey mustard on it," the bee called, "and a root beer, heavy on the syrup."

"I wouldn't mind chicken salad," Sonia said, "or a tuna salad, with cheese."

"Cheeseburger with lots of pickles for me," Manic decided. "Ooh, ooh, and onions… and garlic if they have it… and ketchup… and…"

"Hold it, hold it, hold it, give me a moment to catch up." Espio pleaded, having pulled a pen and paper from one of his pockets so he could write everyone's orders down.

* * *

Very quietly the door to Snively's office opened. With the caution of a hunted animal the diminutive human poked his head into the room, fully prepared to flee if he did not like what he found. It was a gamble returning to Cyberon, by now his uncle was sure to have heard of the fiasco that had been made of the night before. A smarter move would have been to pull out as much money as he could from his bank accounts, buy a couple different plane tickets to different destinations, and then steal a car and drive as far away from Central as possible. That would have been the most sensible course.

Unfortunately, the sensible course wasn't an option. Snively had to run this risk, or else anything he did afterward would most likely be for naught.

The balding man walked quietly to his desk, his footsteps light lest their sounds betray his presence. What he needed was at the back of the top right drawer; a little, black plastic device that would, in theory at least, scramble the implant in Snively's head. Doing so would mean the CEO would be unable to remotely access Cyberon's robots, but given that the implant Robotnik possessed could override Snively's own, this seemed a small price to pay.

There was also a small flash drive in the desk, a virtual key into the company's systems. If Snively was careful, he could use the drive to keep in contact with Cyberon and maybe figure out when it was safe to return.

He opened the drawer and found the scrambler hidden in the back, just where he'd placed it before. Hopefully his uncle did not know of the device's existence, or else he no doubt would have a countermeasure in place. Sadly it was often difficult to be sure just what Dr. Robotnik was and was not aware of.

_'Far better to stick to my plans and just improvise if needed. I'll soon know what I'm up against,'_ Snively thought. Scrambler in hand, the dwarf opened another drawer for the flash drive. Even if he was completely cut off, there would no doubt be some government out there that would pay a small fortune for what was essentially a key into Station Square's computer network.

One problem to this plan presented itself however. The flash drive was not present.

Quickly Snively searched through more of the drawers, desperate to find the little storage device. Still he found nothing. He even searched the hidden panel on the underside of the desktop, but while the small ledgers and disks that "didn't" exist as far as Cyberon and the government was concerned were present, nothing else was.

"Looking for something?" asked a gravelly voice that sent a wretched chill down Snively's spine. He'd been so preoccupied in his search he'd failed to hear the door open again, and not he stared across his desk at the massive form of Dr. Robotnik. The Doctor's face wore a smile that could be described as pleasant, in the same way that a crocodile's smile could be considered pleasant, and his body language did not seem to hint at any form of rage building. But it was the man's eyes, those horrible, red eyes that now seemed to veritably glow with malice that provided Snively with all the proof he needed that he was in a dangerous situation.

"Un-Un-Uncle," the little man stammered out, a pleased expression fighting to hide the fear he felt. "I-I did not expect to see you here." Small hands began to animatedly type on the keyboard, and Snively turned his head to the monitor that had been awoken from slumber mode. "No-Nothing here on the itinerary about you dropping by; this is a surprise."

"Hmm," Robotnik hummed as a single hand reached out and he swiveled the computer monitor about to look at it. Snively gulped as the elder villain read whatever it was Snively had accidentally pulled up.  
"And yet, from the look of the baggage you have stashed in your car, you seem to be leaving for somewhere, an activity that is ALSO not on your itinerary." Robotnik's eyes returned to his nephew. "My, my, today IS a day for surprises." Snively thought quickly, trying to come up with a plausible excuse.

"A-A meeting sir. Last minute," he stammered out, trying to find a way to creep around the desk without losing the protection it offered him from his Uncle's reach. "Company acquisition you know, heh heh? Gotta keep Cyberon in the black, as it were. Especially if we're going to conquer the world." The monitor swung back around to face Snively, the screen now displaying the reports on the ten missing Egg Hunters. The little man made a gulp as he looked up at his superior's expectant face.

"Snively, Snively, Snively… Colin." A feeling of doom swept over the man at the sound of his real name. That couldn't be a good sign. "You know how much I care for you, correct? You're my nephew, my _favorite_ nephew. I picked you, from amongst all our relations, to assist me in my rise to power. And it will be you, barring some unfortunate 'accident,' which will ascend to power with me, ruling the planet at my side like a diminutive god. If that does not bespeak of favor, I quite frankly don't know what does. So it is with these happy, generous thoughts in my heart that I ask you; WHY DO YOU MAKE KILLING YOU SEEM SO APPEALING!" With a speed that didn't seem possible for a creature his size, Robotnik reached forth and grabbed hold of his nephew's neck, lifted him from his chair, and bodily slammed him against the large window that was behind him. The sound of cracking glass informed the CEO that he needed to find a way to calm his enraged Uncle down or learn to fly, both within the next few seconds if at all possible.

"I-I-I can explain Uncle, please!" he begged in his most pathetic voice. At his core the elder Robotnik was a bully, and bullies loved to see groveling. Or so Snively hoped.

"Explain? What is there to explain you runty little abomination?" Robotnik bellowed. "I let you use three of my precious Egg Hunters to subdue one little fluff ball and the hedgehog who's protecting him, and you lost TEN! And not only that, but for some reason you decided to disobey my orders and actually KILLED Dr. Kintobor?" The glass behind him continued to crack as more pressure was applied to Snively's little body.

"There were… complications," he pleaded, his eyes casting backwards a bit at just how high up he was. Why hadn't he put his office on the ground floor? "Kintobor was helping them. I thought-"

"Thought? Ho, ho, ho, that would probably count as your first mistake for the evening."

"Sir, the plan… You need me."

"'Need you' Snively? I need you? Do you actually believe that, you long nosed fool? That I, Dr. Robotnik, the greatest scientific in the world, need you, Snively, a third-rate drop-out? All are expendable to me, Snively, never forget that. I could replace you effortlessly with the snap of my fingers. Or is it a demonstration of this power that you need?" Sweat fell down Snively's brow as the heat of his master's breath struck him. Puce eyes searched, desperate for some way out of this predicament. A glance at the monitor provided a possible solution.

"Sir, the computer!" Snively yelled in desperation. Snarling Robotnik cast his gaze back towards the machine, though he was in no mood for whatever distraction his nephew offered. A warning now flashed across the screen, a familiar one warning of someone trying to access a file long forgotten, a file hidden and never to be opened again.

For the second time in less than a week, someone was trying to find out about Miles Prower. And this time it was no ham-fisted attempt, not if what the computer was telling him was to be believed. Someone had destroyed the attack programs set up to guard the other two Prower files, they'd even managed to resurrect the link to finding Miles's own file. Robotnik turned back towards his nephew.

"Luck has ever been your friend, Snively," he grumbled as he released the little man. Shoving the annoying human out of his way, Robotnik sat down in the chair, an audible cracking sound coming as the chair struggled to hold him. The mad doctor's fleshy fingers reached to his cybernetic arm and pulled forth a wire with computer jack at its end. Plugging into Snively's terminal, Robotnik's eyes began to glow. Before him the monitor jumped with activity. "It would seem we have an actual hacker sifting through the files," Robotnik commented. "He has managed to disable my watchdogs."

"That would take talent," Snively commented, trying to get on his Uncle's good side.

"A talented fool is still a fool. Let us see how he handles something a bit less friendly." Before Snively's eyes a programming shell was opened, and he watched with no small amount of awe as Robotnik used his computer link to create a brand new program. Code raced across the screen as Robotnik worked with the speed of thought, his rage and hatred going into whatever horrible effect would soon be visited upon the unfortunate hacker's system.

Soon the Doctor's work was done, and the new attack program compiled. Upon the screen a pair of red eyes not dissimilar to their creator's own glared maliciously out at the duo.

"Go," Robotnik commanded, "and wreak my vengeance on those foolish enough to defy me." The red eyes faded and soon a new directory window opened. Soon new files appeared in the folder, rapidly downloading from who knew where.

"What are you doing?" Snively asked.

"I want to know who is helping our enemies, so I'm stealing their files," the dictator-to-be responded. Only a minute or so after the counterattack started, it apparently ended as the files stopped arriving. "Hmm, they cut the connection rather than continue. I applaud such abruptness."

"Were you able to find out who it was?"

"I'll have to look at what we took first you idiot. But for now we've stopped our opponent."

"Shall I pull together another team to capture C2?" Robotnik whirled upon his nephew.

"YOU are not to do anything but remain by my side where I can keep an eye on you."

"Then how…"

"Summon Shadow back here. Now."

"But the Guardian…"

"…is of secondary importance for now. Shadow will not allow that fox to escape him again, nor will he permit the echidna to bring C2 to harm. Summon him, I say." With that last word, Robotnik turned to leave, no doubt off to make preparations for his favored minion's mission. Before he passed through the office's doorway, the large man halted, his cone shaped head turning back to look at his nephew. "And Snively, for you own health, I suggest you no longer try to delude yourself into thinking you have secrets from me," the elder human warned as he held up his flesh hand. In it he held Snively's scrambler, showing it off for a second before crushing the fragile device. "You are every bit as much mine as this company I allow you to run, boy. Never forget that."

* * *

Shadow stalked through alleys of Central, his senses leading him to his quarry. Or at least he hoped his senses were leading him. Where a chaos emerald was concerned, one could never been too certain of anything.

_'But that echidna must be around here somewhere,'_ he thought angrily. He had to find the Guardian, even if he didn't successfully corner him. Powerful though the red Mobian was, he was still mortal, with all the limitation such a thing implied. If the dark avatar could continue to harry, keep him from going to ground, eventually he would succumb to exhaustion. Afterall, even the emeralds had limits as to how much they could enhance a creature.

A familiar beeping melody drew the hedgehog's attention to the communicator at his wrist. Irritably he raised the device to his face, pressing a button to access it. In a second Snively's face appeared on the small screen.

"What is it?" Shadow asked, making no effort to hide his annoyance. He was well aware the little man seemed to think he held the hedgehog's leash, and now was not the time for some petty demonstration of power.

"Robotnik wishes you to return," Snively said in an even voice, trying to regain his composure.

"Tell him I should be back shortly," Shadow responded. "Once I have obtained my quarry."

"Now, Shadow, he wants you back now," the little man reasserted. "You're to be put in pursuit of C2." A sly grin began to cross the hedgehog's face as he realized the meaning of this.

"Couldn't hack it could you?"

"Don't get lippy with me B," snarled the little man, in no mood for another belittling. "If you hadn't gotten sloppy back at the lab, none of this would have been necessary." All this got was a laugh from the dark hedgehog.

"Inform your Uncle I'll be back within the hour," Shadow finally said. "And I'll hope whatever plan you've come up with works this time." Shutting off his communicator, Shadow turned from the alley and headed for home.

A few minutes passed without the black hedgehog returning. From the back of the ally, a trashcan lid slowly rose from its container. Underneath Knuckles's head peered out at the world, glaring at the path his pursuer had taken to leave.

Time was running out.

* * *

To be Continued…


	10. Preparations

Author's Note: Another day, another chapter. I will say I like the way this chapter came out, though I wish I'd been able to come up with a better title for it. Anyway, due to problems with my internet connection, I probably won't be able to respond to any reviews for the next few days. Don't worry, I will respond to everyone though. Anyway here's the new chapter. Let's see if anyone can spot all of the guest characters who showed up.

* * *

Chapter 9: Preparations

* * *

Vector sat in his office, his hands steepled in front of him, basking under the light of a heat lamp. The heat felt good, even if it was artificial.

_ 'Someday I'm gonna retire to some place that stays nice an' hot all year round. Maybe one of them desert towns out in the mid-west,"_ the croc thought. _'Some place far away from all these headaches.'_ A knock came from his office door, causing the crime boss to raise his head.

"Come in," he said as the bulldog from before entered, carrying a file in his hand. "That what I think it is, Barry?"

"Reports of all known missing childrens cases for the past few years, Boss Man," Barry responded as he plopped the file down on the croc's desk. "Officer Turkleton rushed it over as fast as he could, but he was a little surprised you didn't just have Charmy go after the electronic records."

"Ah huh," Vector responded as he opened the file, casually glancing at the pictures and basic data for dozens of children both human and Mobian. Most were teens, runaways who'd either left a bad home or an ugly situation. He recognized a few of them as current members of the Chaotix, not that that surprised him. There were younger faces too, and those he paid attention to. A throat cleared and he looked up to see Barry was still standing before him. "Somethin' on your mind?"

"Er, I was just wondering what I should tell Turkleton. You know, about us needing him to get the files." A single lizard eyebrow rose.

"Why tell him anythin'? Turkleton's just an informant, it's none of his bus'ness what happens here, or why we do what we do."

"He's a cop, and one on the take at that," Barry reminded his employer. "That means he ain't too trustworthy to begin with. If he thinks we're hurting, he might…"

"First of all, we're not 'hurting,'" Vector pointed out, his eyes narrowing in warning. The last thing he needed was for his people to start worrying they were vulnerable. "If Turkleton asks, just tell him Charmy's too busy to be bothered with this. An' if he gets too nosey, remind him that we're the side of this little relationship that asks questions." Vector huffed at this, just a little annoyed. Until Charmy could make the computers safe again they'd have to rely on the old methods of information gathering, but that wasn't too bad. In some ways, Vector preferred the old ways, paying off informants, casing a joint to learn its layouts, actually planning escape routes to evade the cops. Using computers just seemed so sterile and lifeless. He missed the camaraderie.

But that was the past and kids today liked the idea that their electronic toys were helping them stay one step ahead of the cops, even if the cops had the same toys helping them make their busts. His worry soothed somewhat, Barry left his boss in peace. At the back of his mind Vector decided it would probably be beneficial to pull a small heist soon to help assuage any fears. Nothing big, but something to let everyone know the Chaotix were hale and hearty.

Now his attention turned back to the file he'd gotten. The croc shook his big head as he finished skimming, again huffing in annoyance. The only fox in this entire file had been a teenager who's case had been marked solved.

"The more I find out about that kid o' Sonic's, the less I like," Vector grumbled as he slapped the file down on his desk. "Or I guess I should say the less I find out." Grabbing hold of his desk phone, Vector entered a number and waited. Four rings sounded off before a click came over the line.

"Nnnyello?" asked a chirpy, high pitched voice that seemed far too casual for the occasion. For a brief moment the crime boss wondered if he'd punched the wrong number.

"Honey?" he asked, chancing that this wasn't the wrong number. There was a short pause, before a new voice, this one still high pitched but with that growling quality that seemed indicative of feline Mobians.

"This is Honey," the recipient said. Over the line Vector could hear the sounds of shuffling as though two bodies were trying to get comfortable. The first voice was whispering something, though Vector couldn't make out the specifics. He waited for the second voice to request silence before beginning again.

"Am I interrupting anything?" he asked.

"No," came the reply, fairly quickly if the lizard was any judge. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with anyway." There was a playfully insulted "hmph" in the background, followed by an aggrieved shushing sound. Patiently Vector waited for the situation to reach a resolution. "Sorry about that. It is late you know."

"Yes, an' I wouldn't be callin' now if it weren't import'nt," Vector pointed out. Then he continued in his most cultured and intense voice. "I have need of your services."

"You been watching those old Bond films again Big Boss?" Under his scales the croc flushed.

"Forgive me for tryin' to add a little class to these calls. Are ya available or not?"

"You caught me between gigs, Vec. What do you need?"

"I need you to investigate a couple people for me, find out what you can. Just one thing, I wouldn't advise using the Net or any computer stuff. Dig?"

"You're confusing me for the bee. A detective doesn't need a computer to do her work. But why the warning, or is that on a 'need to know' basis?" Vector was silent for a moment as he considered how much to say. It wasn't that he didn't trust Honey, she was very big on client confidentiality. The problem was more of the opposite. He liked the feline detective, she was very good at her job, even if she was expensive. But she also couldn't resist a good mystery, and was not the wisest when it came to keeping her nose out of dangerous business. Vector had had to send Chaotix agents in more than once to get Honey out of situations that were over her head. Putting her in Cyberon's line of fire would be an almost death sentence for the feline.

Still, if he didn't tell her something she'd just start digging herself, and that would get her into more trouble.

"The people I'm lookin' into… someone else is also tryin' to find 'em," Vector lamely explained. "Bad people. People that scare even me. An' I think they're watching for any sorta inquiries like that. 'S why I'm not turning Charmy loose on this one." It was a lie, but hopefully it would be a convincing enough one.

"Fine, fine, I'll pick up Bug-Boy's slack for you," Honey responded. "Just give me the Whos and the Wheres."

"It's a family; name of Prower. The 'rents are called by Amadeus and Rosemary, and they're supposed to have a rugrat name o' Miles."

"Supposed to?"

"That's what I said. They're supposed to be from somewhere over in Emerald Hill, but that's the same source that's saying they gotta son. I'll have a courier get you their pics."

"That'll help. I'll set up a trip to Emerald Hill in the morning."

"Tonight would be better. But Honey, I'm serious. This has GOT to be on the down-low. If anyone you don't recognize is also sniffing around, pull out and tell me."

"You worry too much Vec, I can handle myself."

"Fine, but just remember I warned you," he said with a laugh. Then he hung up. A certain sense of ease washed over the crocodile. Honey would find some information, if there was any information to find. That left him with only one problem left. Picking up his phone again, Vector dialed.

"Jose? I need to make some travel arrangements for someone."

* * *

_Darkness. It is everywhere. Not merely in front and behind, or even to the left or the right, but all around. And it is not merely the darkness born of the night, or the inky blackness of space. This is a darkness that could only be born from the absence of light, a primordial darkness that should reside only in the forgotten memories of life itself._

_ In the depths of the darkness, something stirs and struggles._

_ Alone. _

_This is new. Though it has always been dark, it has never been lonely. There has always been… something else. Companionship, even if it was not known as such. But now, there is only loneliness. And it is not welcome._

_ Light explodes into the universe of darkness; blinding and painful in its intensity, but welcome all the same if for no other reason than that it is something else. Another presence, though unfamiliar._

_ A voice calls through the darkness, soft and beckoning. It calls from the light, surrounds and pervades the dark. From within the darkness, movement, traveling, seeking the light, seeking to end the loneliness. But the darkness will not yield so easily. It pulls and congeals, like a thick pudding, holding its captive fast. _

_ More lights join the first, each a different color, and soon they number seven. Where each one appears, the darkness fades and as the darkness fades, a eighth light begins to shine. The darkness writhes, the darkness rages, determined to hold its captive, determined to take back what was stolen. _

_ The original light burns with new intensity, burns with new fierceness. All around it the darkness fades. Soon the seven new lights add their power to the first one, combining their energies as they wage their war against the encroaching darkness._

* * *

"Stop doing that!" Charmy wailed, throwing his controller on the ground hard. "That's not fair, it's cheating, it's… it's…"

"It's me beating your pointy butt," Manic chirped back as he landed the coup-de-grace on Charmy by pushing a few buttons on his own controller. On screen the hedgehog's character grinned menacingly at the bee's own before pulling off his face, breathing out a blast of flame, and incinerating his opponent to bones.

"RAWR!" Charmy yelled as he watched the word "Fatality" appear on the screen in dripping, bloody letters. Nearby Mighty chuckled as his teammate began to accuse Manic of all sorts of foul play, even spouting some nonsense about his own controller being unresponsive.

"Charmy, would you just shut up and take the loss," Espio counseled the younger Mobian. "You're acting like you're the one who got toasted, not some light and pixels."

"That's not the point. He cheated, I know it. There's no way some little no name hedgehog who's never touched a controller in his life is gonna be able to beat me in a fair fight!" A sour look crossed Sonia's face.

"Hmph, well maybe you're not really as good as you think you are," she said as she scooped up the discarded controller.

"Hey, no way! I'm not done yet!" Charmy cried, flying towards the pink hedgehog. "Give it, give it, give it."

"Stop being such a brat," Sonia admonished. "You agreed that the winner played and the loser had to give up his controller. It's someone else's turn now."

"That was when I thought I'd be winning."

"Yeah well now you're just whining," Mighty snarked. Charmy blew a raspberry at him before sitting down in a huff, clearly displeased with the way the day's entertainment was going. Manic looked to his sister.

"You gonna give it a go?" he asked. Sonia shook her head.

"Last thing I need is to subject myself to this overproduced gore-fest. Someone just had to shut his royal bratness up." Charmy blew another raspberry as Manic turned to the other occupant of the love seat he was stationed on.

"How 'bout you, Tails, you wanna… hey wake up." The emerald hedgehog nudged his dozing companion.

"Huh? Wha?" the disoriented vulpine asked as he was roused from dreamland.

"You tired kiddo?" Mighty asked. "If you want you can go have a lie down with Sonic and Amy."

"No-no. 'M fine," the cub responded, taking the controller from Sonia. Quickly he selected his fighter, trying his best to act as though he had not just been woken up. Deciding that the enemy of his enemy was someone he could give tips to, Charmy flew over to the fox's side to coach him in the fight.

The match was in its second round when Sonic entered the room, looking and feeling much better than he had a few hours ago thanks in no small part to the nap and quick shower he'd taken.

"Sonic, you're up," Sonia greeted her still damp brother as Manic continued to try to bash Tails's skull in with what looked like a rather garish axe. Sonic yawned and smiled.

"Yeah, just needed to flip the ol' internal circuit breaker. What's been happening?"

"Nothing much. The kids are amusing themselves and we're makin' sure they don't get bothered," Mighty admitted, thrusting his thumb over towards the video game. "It's more or less been quiet since you and Ames left."

"Speaking of Ms. Rose, I can't help but notice she's not here with you," Espio remarked. "She's not off roaming the hallways without an escort."

"She woke up a little after me. Decided to avail herself of the shower after I was done." At this, Charmy's head turned as he looked at Sonic.

"Really?" he asked with a shifty expression on his face. Then he rose into the air. "Um, I think I need to go and… do something. Yeah, definitely something."

"Vector gave me orders if you tried to leave the room in this situation," Espio warned. "I'm supposed to pin you to the ceiling by your wings." Grumbling the bee floated back down to the couch, fully intent on venting his frustrations by helping Tails defeat Manic.

Sonic took a seat in a chair.

"So, has the Hip-Hop Croc made any decisions yet?"

"Boss Vector hasn't come back yet. I don't think he'll be back until he has a plan and a means of carrying it out," Mighty answered. "And you could stand to be a little more respectful Sonic. The man IS helping you."

"He's helping himself Might, helping us is just a useful side effect," the hedgehog responded.

"Hey come on, he's not some heartless monster."

"Mighty, I get that you respect the guy and all that, but you and I both know that this is a favor, not a gift. The only difference between Vec and Trevor is that Vector isn't a slimeball about getting what he wants."

"Ha! And down in flames you go Pincushion!" Charmy suddenly cried, attracting the adults' attention. On the screen Manic's character lay on the ground, defeated by its opponent in what looked to be a rather crushing defeat if the life bars were any indication.

"Yeah, yeah, I got beat. I'm just not gonna moan about it like some Mobians," Manic responded as he tossed the controller to the overly eager techie. Charmy gave Tails a nasty grin.

"Now you're gonna see some real playing, fuzz face," he said to the bewildered fox as he pressed the start button on his control. Before anyone else could notice, the bee's nimble thumbs quickly tapped the buttons in a special order, a sneeze escaping his lips that conveniently masked the sound of a chime going off. "Go ahead, pick your poison, I dare you." Again Tails gave him a bewildered look.

"I… I don't want poison," the cub replied, wondering what he'd done to suddenly deserve getting death threats. He'd followed the pushy bee's instructions to the letter when he'd played Manic and didn't think he deserved to be poisoned. Charmy let out an annoyed breath.

"No, I mean pick the guy you want me to beat you with," he explained, sounding like he was talking to the dumbest person in the world.

"I thought I was supposed to try to beat you."

"Dur!" Charmy growled his hand hitting his face. Manic decided to intervene.

"Bee's just trying to play big shot," the hedgehog explained. "He thinks he can beat you with any character, so he's letting you pick the one he plays too."

"Oh," Tails said. "Well, if you want me to, how about that one?" A clawed finger tapped the part of the screen holding a portrait. Immediately Charmy's lips pursed.

"What? You want me to be a girl?" he hollered. "Dude, I can't be a girl! They're weak, they're slow, they're…"

"Ahem!" Espio called, breaking his young friend out of his tirade. Charmy noticed the warning look the chameleon was giving him, as well as the insulted look Sonia was giving him, and remembered Vector's views on the treatment of women. Manic was working very hard to suppress his laughter.

"Ah, what I meant to say was that her moves aren't as, um, elaborate as the others, so it won't be as entertaining a fight," he corrected himself.

"You said anyone," Tails reminded him with Manic's goading. Growling Charmy moved his joystick to highlight the selected fighter.

_'Ah well, not like it matters. With that code I entered, I can't lose to these chumps,'_ the Mobian insect thought. He wasn't foolish enough to enter a code that granted him invincibility, but the one he had entered would cut the damage he took in half, while doubling his own output. Charmy hadn't really intended to do this, but he also hadn't intended to lose to Manic the first time the mammal had ever touched a controller. It was time to get some payback.

* * *

Robotnik had left Cyberon.

This in and of itself was cause for concern.

Snively could count on his hand the number of times his malignant master had left Cyberon. Usually the Doctor was content to leave any concerns outside the company to his minions, namely Snively and Shadow, while he concentrated on his research. It had been quite a surprise when Robotnik had called for a car, and a bit distressing that the man's robotic hand had not left his nephew's shoulder, indicating quite clearly Snively was coming along for the ride. They'd met Shadow on the way, and now all three were traveling in the back of a small, nondescript limo.

To where, the Doctor had not deigned to inform them. Snively tried to guess based on the path the car took through the city, but there wasn't much point. There was only one other place in the city that Robotnik was interested in and it was unlikely they were headed anywhere else.

G.U.N. headquarters, the command center for the nation's military defenders, and also one of the most technologically sophisticated organizations on the planet.

Ostensibly Robotnik, and Snively himself, had every right to enter the building. Cyberon tended to be G.U.N.'s top supplier in technological toys, and it wasn't as though the heads of that company wouldn't have business with some top brass. But it still made Snively uneasy. Anything his Uncle needed from G.U.N. he could have gotten with a simple phone call and a little yelling. In fact, being the recluse he was, that would have been his primary choice of action.

_'Perhaps he seeks something that must be accomplished with a personal touch.'_

"Shadow, what the devil are you doing?" Robotnik suddenly asked. Snively quickly looked over at the other passenger to see that the hedgehog's thumbs were absently wiggling about as his hands seemed to be cradling something between them.

"I… I'm not sure," Shadow responded as his hands stopped their movement, red eyes glaring at them as if daring the appendages to begin again. Then he looked at Robotnik. "I had the oddest sensation. I had to beat someone, like I was fighting them."

"Like in a video game," Snively suggested. At his words, Dr. Robotnik gave his nephew a quizzical look. Games were alien to the big human, as alien as such things as kindness and fun. It would never occur to the dictator-to-be that one could use a computer for entertainment, never mind that his company was currently trying to market an old Bigfoot training simulator as the newest video sensation. And while Snively was by no means an aficionado of video games, he did happen to own a system he would play to unwind. "I mean, from the look of it, it seemed like you were holding a controller and playing a video game. And they do get competitive. Or so I'm told," he quickly added.

"I don't play video games," Shadow asserted. For a brief moment Snively wondered if the ebony Mobian did anything during his downtime, but shook this thought from his head. Shadow might have been more compliant, but he was a tool just like his sibling. It didn't pay to waste time trying to understand him.

"Hmm," Robotnik rumbled. "It is possible that, in your relaxed state, you are starting to connect with the Topaz Star; picking up on C2's activities subconsciously as it were. Fascinating."

"But why now?" Snively asked. "If Shadow could do this before, we'd have been able to recapture him easily."

"Because the Topaz Star is getting stronger," the black hedgehog surmised. "He's been accessing his powers in more ways, with greater intensity. Which could be problematic."

"Hence why I wanted you two to capture him quicker," Robotnik growled back, glaring at his two minions. This Shadow took with his normal stoicism, while Snively began to fidget in his seat. Once more the trip fell into silence. In only a few minutes, the car reached their destination.

On a whole, G.U.N. headquarters wasn't that impressive. It was a large skyscraper, black in color, with several reflective windows that might have just as easily been any office building in the city. But this was only to the naked eye. In reality the building was heavily reinforced, and could probably survive being hit by a wall of water of equal height to it. The top of the tower could open to reveal a covered helicopter pad, providing a safe point of arrival or egress if necessary. A satellite was held in geosynchronous orbit over the place to maintain its communications with anywhere in the world.

And that was merely the tip of the iceberg as it where.

Quietly the limo passed the checkpoint into the building's garage, the guard waving it on towards a suitable spot. Leaning up from his seat, Robotnik tapped the glass that separated passengers from driver. It rolled down to reveal a humanoid robot that looked back at them through electronic eyes.

"Remain here. Do not allow anyone to approach this car, save for me," he commanded. The robot's head turned back to face the front of the car as the three climbed out of the back. Tentatively Snively licked his palm and smoothed back his hair, what little of it he had, very much aware that no less than four cameras were probably watching the area they were in. Then again, Robotnik's hand had touched the implant imbedded in his forehead, so maybe they weren't. On their way to the building's door, they passed another guard. For a brief moment the man seemed to consider stopping them, possibly demanding to know if they were allowed here. A single icy stare from Robotnik caused him to rethink this course of action. Say whatever you liked about the demented doctor, he was not someone you annoyed on a whim.

The trio moved on towards the elevator.

"Where are we going?" Snively asked as his Uncle pressed the button marked "22."

"We're going to have a meeting," Robotnik informed. "Quite apparently we have run into a situation that needs containment. Containment that, though I am loathe to admit it, we three are unable to provide."

"You're not thinking of doing another city hunt, are you?" Shadow asked in a bored voice. "That wasn't exactly a winning strategy last time."

"I can't say I care for your tone Shadow," the human warned. "But no, we are not going to go traipsing through the city again. Thanks to the incursion into the government's files, we now know where to find our quarry. What we need now is force enough to get to him. And since most of my Egg-Hunters are now _scrap metal_," he cast a baleful gaze at his nephew, "I am forced to rely on other allies to remain inconspicuous." Once more Robotnik touched his implant and this time Snively could almost feel the command to shut down that was being broadcast to the Cyberon built security system that protected this floor. The elevator doors opened and Dr. Robotnik stepped out, leading the way for them. They made two rights through the halls before coming to a door.

For a moment they stood there, much to Snively's consternation. Robotnik had been in such a rush before and now he just stood there, glaring at the door.

"Well?" he finally growled, looking down at his nephew. Snively started, finally realizing what was being waited for. Quickly he grabbed hold of the doorknob and twisted it, removing the obstruction from his ruthless relation's path.

Inside a young lady in a G.U.N. uniform decorated with Captain's bars sat typing at a computer; only looking up when Robotnik took his first heavy step into the room.

"I'm sorry sir, but General Haron isn't seeing anyone to… Hey!" The big human ignored the Captain's protests and made a beeline for the next door. Not to be outdone, the woman raced over to bar his way, her body crouching into a combat position. Most likely she was fully trained in personal combat and would have been fairly formidable under normal circumstances. But these were not normal circumstances. And there was no doubt the button she'd quickly pressed under her desk would have summoned several guards if it had not been disabled by Robotnik's previous command to deactivate.

The egg-shaped doctor looked the receptionist turned bodyguard up and down for a moment, his natural frown never leaving his face.

"My dear, I quite understand that you have a job to do. However, if you have not removed yourself from my path before I snap my fingers, my associate here," an aside glance was made to Shadow, "will reduce you to so much charred ash." Robotnik raised his meaty hand, thumb and middle finger pressed together as his eyes squinted. The young woman, true to her G.U.N. training, did not flinch and seemed perfectly ready to call the doctor's bluff, poor choice that this was. Suddenly the door opened and a square-headed gentleman with gray hair done in a crew cut stuck his head out.

"What the devil is going on out h-" His voice died when he saw the scene before him, or more specifically the look Robotnik was now giving him.

"General Haron, sir, these men were attempting to enter your office. I tried to tell them you weren't seeing anyone but they ignored me." Immediately the General put on an understanding smile, his wrinkles moving around to give the impression of kindness one usually found in one's elderly grandfather.

"Thank you for your concern, Captain Higgins, but these… gentlemen have a special appointment," he explained. The woman called Higgins moved over to her computer, pulling up the General's schedule for the day. Since she no longer obstructed his path, Robotnik merely showed himself into the office, pushing past Haron as though he wasn't there.

"Sir, I don't see anything about an appointment at this time," Captain Higgins pointed out.

"Yes, well, I may have forgotten to enter it properly. Old age and all."

"Maybe I should…"

"Captain… Carol. I think it would be a wonderful idea if you took an early lunch today," General Haron suggested, his tone carrying a hint of command in it.

"But sir…" the Captain began to protest.

"I would much prefer not to make this an order. Go and treat yourself to something good, on me." With that General Haron's head withdrew back into his office. For a few minutes Carol Higgins stood at her desk, trying to decide what to do. It was not her place to question her superior's orders, but at the same time her instincts told her that the general's guests were not the kind one gave free reign in G.U.N. Command.

Finally she decided to heed her commander's advice/orders. General Haron had earned his position of trust within G.U.N., and it would take more than a simple bad feeling to convince her that this was something she needed to get involved in.

As the Captain left her office, she failed to notice that the other door had remained ajar just a crack, a single eye staring outward. Inside, General Haron breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing he needed was for someone to accidentally overhear whatever his visitor had to say.

Turning around Haron found Robotnik had appropriated the most comfortable chair in the room, the General's own which sat behind his desk. Some might have seen this as a power tactic, an attempt to put oneself at an advantage over another, but Snively knew better. Such logic only applied to individuals who thought in terms of others as people, not merely tools.

Shadow stood off to the side, leaning against the wall nonchalantly. Snively simply availed himself of the General's liquor cabinet. Personal experience had taught him that scotch could help soften the blow of his Uncle's sudden appearance.

"Why are you here?" the General asked. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it could be for us to be seen together? For you to even BE in this building?" Robotnik didn't answer, simply resting his blubbery face upon his meaty hand as he cast casual glances at the G.U.N. officer. "Bad enough those Egg-Hunters were identified… Do you want our plans exposed?"

"That would not be a problem if you people were better at controlling the media like you should be," stated the ovoid human. "And, were I you and in a mind to keep that Captain of yours hale and hearty, I would very much have her transferred before she suffers a case of terminal bravery."

It was then that Haron noticed the bulk of Robotnik's attention was being paid to his computer. With a sickening feeling in his stomach, the General ran back behind his desk. Sure enough the computer jack from the cyborg's arm was currently imbedded in the tower CPU. "What do you think you're doing! Those are G.U.N. files! Not for civilian eyes!"

"Meaningless reports from even more meaningless people," Robotnik concluded. At his command all of the files disappeared, leaving behind a blank screen. The General's hands slammed onto his desk at this.

"Now see here, you can't simply come in here and take over like this. This is my office damn it."

"Hooo boy," Snively sighed as he carried a prepared drink over to the relative safety of Shadow's position. Haron had succeeded in gaining the full measure of his Uncle's attention. Malevolent red eyes stared at the man, the devious mind controlling them no doubt already trying to work out what horrible punishment it would inflict upon him for this outburst. Anyone else might have felt the danger in the air, but to a man of power such as Haron, a general convinced he was untouchable, the idea that he was not in control was anathema.

Still, Robotnik did need the man, which meant any vengeance he desired would have to wait for now.

"I am not here to quarrel with you," he finally said, his voice even though his eyes remained hard. "I am here to show you something." The General's computer screen came back to life as the megalomaniacal mastermind called forth files hidden in the memory components of his arm. "A few hours ago, someone, for the second time in a week, attempted to access information on the name Miles Prower. I'm fairly certain that name is familiar to you."

"Prower?" Haron asked with a frown. "I thought we were done with that Prower business." Eyes narrowing, the old man looked over at Snively. "Does this have anything to do with why you needed that specialized Bigfoot?" The little man shrugged his shoulders as he sipped his appropriated scotch. It didn't take much for Haron to put two and two together, and he turned back to the scientist. "You said you'd have this under control."

"We do."

"No, no you don't. If you did, that little freak wouldn't be running around the city, would he?" the man pointed out. "Is this also why I'm having to explain to the press about those Egg Hunters as well?" Robotnik didn't deign to answer this question. When this became obvious to his ally, the General shook his head, growling as he did so. "All right, what's done is done. You've obviously got something on your mind, so spill it."

"'Spill it?' How very vulgar," the ovoid human responded. "However if you insist." The computer now displayed a picture of Vector Crocodile. "It took some doing, but I managed to trace the computer that made the intrusion to this Mobian."

"Took some doing?"

"Yes," Snively confirmed, taking another slow sip of his drink. "Apparently Mr. Crocodile had gone to great lengths to make that particular system disappear from record."

"What concerns me more is the fact that this Vector person seems to have some history with the police," Robotnik rumbled.

"He's a cop?"

"He's a criminal," the Doctor informed. "More than that, he is, according to my sources, the head of a criminal group called the Chaotix." Haron's eyes widened a bit. The membership might not have been well known, but everyone had heard of the Chaotix. "More over, I believe he sent his underlings to intercept C2 when Snively attempted to capture him last night."

"Awfully generous of a crime boss to stick his neck out for what is, ostensibly, just a very odd cub," Snively pointed out, trying to shoo past his failure. After all, if someone else had interfered, it could hardly be his fault C2 had escaped.

"Do you think he knows something he shouldn't?" the General asked, very concerned now. Technically what they were doing counted as a conspiracy against the government, even if it was for the world's benefit. The last thing they needed was someone to get wind of what they'd done so far and make it public.

"I think if he didn't know then, he's got some idea now, and I typically do not underestimate others so grossly," Robotnik countered.

"The solution is simple. We'll just have the police stage a raid on wherever the Chaotix…"

"The police will be of no use, you old fool. They're too mired in rules and protocol," Shadow bit back, not at all respectfully. "And that won't solve the problem that too many people may know about my brother right now."

"What are you suggesting, hedgehog?"

"We wipe them out," he responded. "Kill them all to the Mobian and take C2 back; and that includes that blue hedgehog that's keeping him." General Haron seemed a shocked at the bluntness of the dark Mobian's statement.

"You want to start a massacre inside Central? Do you have any idea the kind of backlash doing that would cause?"

"Why?" Robotnik asked. "Why would it cause a backlash? I am given to understand that these people are all criminals. Criminals the police have consistently failed to bring to justice. I would think that by removing them from the general populace, we'd actually be doing a service to the community."

"People don't like it when armed men go around attacking other people, no matter who they are," Haron refuted him. "And what about this fox? He's supposed to have special powers, right? I'm not just going to send good soldiers into a potential meat grinder."

"What people do not like is of less consequence than what they will accept. And you shouldn't fear for your men, Shadow will be the one who deals directly with C2." Haron's eyes bounced from Robotnik to Snively to Shadow and back again.

"Nothing is that simple," he determined. "You're not telling me something here, something vital." Robotnik exhaled as a picture of Sonic was pulled up on the General's computer.

"We believe that the mutant, blue hedgehog protecting C2 from us is the same high speed abomination your men reported that destroyed the Bigfoot from before," Robotnik admitted. "Hence our need for a number of highly trained combatants to deal with him." Shadow growled at this.

"There may be another mutant in the bunch," Snively interjected. Both his Uncle and the General looked at him. "The… uh… The older pink hedgehog; Amy Rose." A few seconds and Amy's picture appeared.

"This is a mutant?" Haron asked disbelievingly.

"I'm… I'm not sure. I just know that last night she had a hammer."

"This is not the time for rambling Snively," Robotnik droned, dismissing his nephew.

"No, the hammer, it was extremely heavy. I watched that Sonic fellow chuck it at my van when we were chasing them, so I know that much. But she… she was swinging it around as though it were nothing. And it seemed to just appear in her hand." Shadow's eyes narrowed. "I know you think I'm crazy here, but I tell you what I saw."

"A hammer you say?"

"Yes. Gaudy thing; pink, decorated in hearts and such."

"Hmm," Shadow bowed his head as he contemplated this new information.

"Exceptionally ugly hammers aside, I'm still not on board with trying to mount some sort of military assault within the city limits."

"What else would you have us do? If we wait too long for action, these criminals will simply make my cub disappear into the bowels of their network. We must strike while we can," Robotnik reasoned. "Better to destroy the problem now, eliminate a potential threat, than to let yet another obstacle prevent us from succeeding in our master plan." The General seemed to consider this for a moment. He was already taking heat from the Egg-Hunters being discovered, if this operation were uncovered by the press. Not all of G.U.N.'s upper echelons were as enlightened as Haron himself, and there were plenty of ignorant people who could seriously jeopardize his position if they wanted to.

But still, they were so close now. Didn't the potential risk outweigh the payoff of the perfect world Robotnik would help them create when he found the mysterious "Master" he always talked about? Finally, a decision was reached.

"What is it you need?"

"Soldiers, quite obviously. Enough to ensure an overwhelming numerical superiority. And ones smart enough not to ask questions, or too dumb to think of them."

"Please tell me the plan involves more than just marching up to wherever this Vector person is and opening fire."

"I see no reason to overcomplicate matters," the Doctor said. "But I do have a plan, something to help minimize the public backlash you so fear. Which leads me to what else we shall require…"

* * *

With their meeting over, Robotnik exited General Haron's office, Snively in tow beside him. Shadow had been left with the General, to make sure preparations were completed on time.

"Are you sure that man can be trusted with this?" Snively asked his Uncle once they were back in their limo. "He seemed quite recalcitrant."

"Don't use big words to make yourself feel intelligent, Snively, particularly if you do not actually know what they mean," the elder human snapped. "Haron will do his job, despite any misgivings he may have. He is far too involved in this plan to try to impede its progress, and even if he wasn't it is not as though I do not have other leverage against him." From his seat Snively snorted, not liking being so flippantly dismissed.

"What makes you think Shadow will fare any better than I did with this mission?" he finally quipped. "HE'S the one who failed to catch C2 with a Bigfoot backing him up."

"Do you doubt my judgment?" Robotnik asked, his eyes narrowing at his nephew, his voice indicating what a dangerous road the young man was traveling. Snively's sense of self-preservation kicked in and he found himself backpedaling a bit.

"No, no sir. I merely mean to point out that one can never be too careful. The last thing we need is to lose both of the emeralds at once. The Cyan Storm will not be enough should Shadow's Gray Dusk be captured as well."

"Both the Cyan Storm and the Gray Dusk emeralds are supremely safe, Snively, of that you can count your black, little heart," he proclaimed, patting his ample stomach. "All that matters is reclaiming the Topaz Star, THAT is the weak point in our plans." For a brief moment Robotnik's attention became absorbed with the view seen through his window, and Snively chose to believe the conversation to be ended. Quietly the little man pulled out his computer, a brand new laptop to replace the one that had been damaged the night before. Suddenly a shiver ran through his body as his Uncle's deep voice rang into his ears.

"The echidna, Knuckles, is still out there. Still trying to destroy my cub. According to Shadow, he has equipped himself with arrows, arrows tipped with seed crystals from the Master Emerald itself. It sounds primitive, but Shadow says they would be effective against C2.

"Assuming we are unable to prevent C2's death, would we have the capability to create a suitable replacement for the Topaz Star?" Snively thought about this.

"Well, we certainly have the raw materials to work with," the little man assured his master, "but that is only a part of the problem. If you'll recall, none of his predecessors survived the process, at least not for very long. And none of them displayed even an inkling of chaos power. I'm not even sure what combination of factors allowed C2 to become viable."

"And no one who was observing him has any idea what made this fox so special?"

"No sir."

"Overpaid fools. I should have the lot of them reduced to ash," the Doctor growled.

"Cathartic as that might be, it would hardly help us in any way if the worst should happen." Robotnik's red eyes shifted in his skull as he gave Snively a sideways glare.

"What did I tell you about using big words?" Snively gulped. "But you have a point. Punishment should only be meted out once a problem has been solved. And speaking of punishments, what do you suppose yours should be for last night's little indiscretion?" Another gulp.

"P-p-punishment?" the nephew asked, a weak smile on his face as he hoped his Uncle was only indulging in his own dark sense of humor. Surely with all that was happening to fix the problem, the would-be tyrant could not be interested in continuing to stamp down on his tiny assistant? "I-I was not aware that I needed additional punishment. I mean, the problem with the Egg-Hunters has been dealt with with a minimum of fuss, and Shadow will no doubt soon have C2 back in our possession." This seemed like a wise proclamation to make, reminding him that Shadow now held the reigns in this operation. If the black hedgehog failed, he would take the weight of Robotnik's rage from Snively, and if he succeeded, well, the elder human would be ecstatic.

The lack of success this tactic had became apparent as Robotnik turned to once again face his nephew full on.

"You are forgetting the third major blunder you made last night Snively, the one mistake even I lack the resources to correct. I am of course speaking of your unwarrantedly lethal attack on Dr. Kintobor." A layer of sweat appeared on the little man's skin. In all the plotting and planning for tonight, he had forgotten about killing the philanthropist, especially since the fallout for that had gone so much in their favor with Sonic being blamed and now probably finding it even harder to lay low. Quite apparently, Dr. Robotnik had not.

It was with a sudden disquiet that Snively realized he did not recognize where the limo had taken them. He had been so absorbed trying to keep on his master's good side, he'd failed to notice they had not been traveling back to Cyberon. Fear enveloped him as the limo pulled into what looked like an abandoned garage, traveling easily past a broken guard gate.

"Dr. Robotnik… Uncle…" Snively began, once more trying to wiggle out of the situation, hoping to pull on the malevolent mastermind's filial heartstrings. It was a desperate gamble, and one the he was not often willing to use, but Robotnik was having none of it.

"A lesson in obedience must be learned, Colin," he said as the limo stopped moving. Before Snively could react, his door opened and three sets of hands suddenly grabbed hold of him.

"Wait! Please!" Snively called as he was dragged from the car and into the company of five tough looking characters, three humans and two Mobian bears. Robotnik's eyes fell towards the lead man.

"Ensure that my nephew makes it to a hospital when you are done," he commanded as Snively cast pleading eyes towards him. "I shall expect you at work tomorrow promptly, so don't make this last longer than it has to." With that the door to the limo was closed. Snively's heart fell as he watched the limo drive off, one of the men who had pulled him out earlier still holding him for good measure. All around him weapons were being brought to bear; brass knuckles, a bat, claws.

"Wait," the desperate man began, "whatever he's paying you, I'll double it. Triple it. Anything you want!"

"Come on man, you oughta know your Uncle better than that," the gentleman holding him said as he let go, leaving their target trapped in a circle of pain. "If the only thing motivatin' this was money, we wouldn't be here right now."

"No, no, please… OWF!" The metal bat slammed into Snively's midsection, doubling him over and sending him to all fours. Horrified eyes looked about as his attackers drew closer. Shivering slightly Snively closed his eyes.

As the five thugs began to administer Robotnik's punishment, a dark figure leaned back in the shadows, icy blue eyes watching the scene play out with a smile.

* * *

The nightclub was off and running, not that Vector was terribly surprised by this. As one of the legitimate businesses the Chaotix ran, the crocodile mobster had spared no expense in the place, both in decorating and advertising it. The Menagerie, as it was called, was hip, cool, and there, and it gave Vector an excellent alibi whenever he absolutely had to NOT be anywhere else.

Of course, the big boss would have been out and out lying if he told anyone he didn't find just hanging out here to be fun. It was relaxing to come down from his office after a hard day of managing a criminal empire and listen to some good music and just watch people having fun. It reminded him of better times, times when life had not been so stressful. Vector had not always wanted to be a criminal, afterall. He'd originally wanted to be in a rock band, wailing away on some drums while loud guitar music played about him.

"Hey Vec," called a feline patron who held a drink in his hands, something deep red with an onion floating on its surface. He was also busy grinding between a female mink and a weasel, both of whom were sporting dresses that sparkled in the sporadic light of Menagerie. Vector casually waved back at the trio before turning away. Everyone knew him, which was something of a blessing and a curse, but that didn't mean he knew everyone in return.

Gracefully the croc moved over to his private booth and sat down, looking out on the dance floor as he scoped out the talent. Very aware that he was an attractive lizard, Vector knew it would only be a matter of time before he found some company for the evening, preferably someone with glistening scales in all the right places.

As he looked out upon the club, Vector began to notice that things didn't seem quite right. To the casual observer, it seemed like any ordinary night. People, humans and Mobians, were out on the dance floor and seated at tables; dancing, mingling, eating, drinking, basically having fun as the bright lights swirled around them. But Vector had not survived so long on being a casual observer.

_'Somethin's off tonight?'_ he thought, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. And that made him nervous. A waitress set a drink down before him, his usual order on nights like these of bourbon and coke. Immediately Vector took hold of her slender wrist to stop her from leaving.

"Hey babe, ya mind tellin' me who's watchin' the door ta'night?" he asked quietly. The girl, a gecko who had to have some iguana blood in her if the crest on her head was any indication, thought for a moment.

"I think Charlie and Itchy are doing duty tonight," she finally answered, her long tongue licking her scaled lips. "But Walt's around back keeping watch." Yellow eyes looked away from the waitress as Vector let her get back to work. Charlie and Itchy were good people, even if they did have a bad tendency to run scams on newbies. Being natural troublemakers themselves, they could easily pick out troublemakers before they entered. And Walt wasn't the brightest bulb in the box, but he knew the back door was not for anyone to enter who wasn't Chaotix.

Still…

A hand reached down and touched the crocodile's shoulder, and Vector didn't need much intuition to know who was there. Espio clung to the wall above him, camouflaged so as not to alert anyone. Had the chameleon been a common sniper, Vector had little doubt he'd be dead.

"You seem tense sir," Espio whispered. "Something on your mind?"

"Just a bad feelin' I'm gettin', 'Spi. And it's makin' my scales click."

"Maybe we should of kept Menagerie closed tonight," the ninja suggested. "I don't like having so many people around when such valuable 'merchandise' is present. Especially if our guests don't stay put."

"Sonic knows bet'er than to risk bein' seen, and closin' this place down for the night would just look suspicious," Vector replied. Then his eyes focused on the spot on the wall where Espio's body would have been. "But I trust my instincts. Go out and take a look around, see if anythin' sends up any red flags. And tell Chuck and Itch they need to be extra careful 'bout who they let in." Espio's hand disappeared from his shoulder, indicating he'd taken his leave. Once more the mobster's eyes swung out to the dance floor.

* * *

The camouflaged Espio crawled along the walls of Menagerie as easily and freely as normal people walked along sidewalks, stopping here and there to cast his eyes out upon the people. The only sound he made was his breathing, and even that was too faint to hear, not that he needed to be too quiet with all the loud music blaring around him.

Vector was nervous, and that made Espio nervous. The big Mobian was always confident, always composed. For him not to be was disquieting. And so the ninja kept his senses open, hoping to sniff out trouble before it could get started.

_'Certainly are a lot of humans here tonight,'_ he thought as he noticed the number. This was not necessarily a bad thing. Though the Chaotix was, for solidarity's sake, exclusively Mobian, the Club Menagerie was not. And there were a lot of humans, teens and young adults, who viewed it as fun to hang out with their Mobian counterparts, and vice-versa. It was hip, it was cool, it was trendy.

It also meant that a new generation of both species was coming around to the idea of accepting one another as, if not friends, than at least as equals. Espio had to chuckle at the irony of a crime family's home base fostering social reform.

And yet, as Espio looked out at the crowd, he couldn't help but pick up his employer's sense of ill ease. Something was off. The chameleon just couldn't put his finger on…

'_This crowd is too old!'_ he suddenly realized as he looked at the faces, warning signs going off in his head. It was true. As he looked about the patrons, Espio realized that far too many of them were not in the age group he'd come to normally associate with the Menagerie's revelers. And, as he noticed this, he also began to notice that the older humans weren't the one's mingling. They were off on their own, sequestered in groups around the floor, doing their best to remain inconspicuous. And that was making them stand out. In an environment full of strutting peacocks, these people were trying to blend in with the background.

Quickly Espio did a headcount, and he did not like the numbers he came up with, especially when he hadn't finished at fifty.

'_Stupid, stupid chameleon,'_ Espio cursed himself. _'How could you not see this?'_ Briefly he considered reporting this back to Vector, but nixed the idea. This wasn't enough information for the croc to use effectively.

Espio moved towards the closest of the sequestered groups, his body moving only as much as was needed to maintain locomotion. A part of him hoped he was wrong, that all he'd noticed was some concerted effort by some busybody organization to shut the club down. But his senses were never wrong.

Three men, sitting alone at a table, casting glances about as they got their bearings in relation to the other groups. Hugging the wall Espio listened.

"How much longer, this music's giving me a migraine?" one of the men asked.

"Long enough, so just sit back and shut your mouth," another replied, adding, "You should have brought earplugs like we said."

"I did, this junk's just too loud."

"That's the big croc that's supposed to be in charge right?" the third man asked, nodding almost imperceptibly in what Espio knew was Vector's direction. His companions also made slight nods in the affirmative. "Seems like an easy shot from here. Bet this whole thing'd be a lot easier if he went down beforehand." From his vantage Espio could make just make out the black shape of a gun being pulled. The ninja's hands slowly moved towards the kunai he had strapped to his chest, ready to act.

"Don't get trigger-happy, Mahoney. We follow orders, and that means no moves until their done setting up outside." Grudgingly the man called Mahoney pushed his gun back into its hiding place.

"Freshen your drinks?" came a cheerful voice off to the side as a mink smiled at the three gentlemen.

"More water," was the curt response one of the men gave, causing the waitress to huff in annoyance. Espio could guess that that same order had probably been repeated multiple times tonight, and no doubt she was thinking about how this would effect her tips for the evening. But it meant something else to the spying gangster.

'_I have to get outside.'_ Quietly he climbed back up the wall, heading for one of the skylights in the roof that would facilitate his hidden egress. On the roof, Espio allowed his camouflage to lapse, relying instead on the darkness to conceal him. Yellow eyes looked out at the city below.

And they did not like what they saw.

Several large black vans had taken up places around the building, spaced so it didn't look like they were together. Unless of course you were seeing them all at once, like Espio was. They were identical, and each one was parked so that its side door was facing the Menagerie. There was no way that was a coincidence.

Under cover of darkness, Espio moved down the side of the building into an alley. At the front door he could see a pair of familiar dogs, Itchy and Charlie, welcoming guests into the club. The chameleon discarded the idea of trying to get them to deny entrance to any older humans. No good would come from tipping their hand right now, especially since nobody but Espio and Vector knew something was up.

Suddenly the click of a hammer came to Espio's earholes as something hard jammed into the back of his skull.

"Don't know why you're sneaking around, horn head, but you picked the wrong night to play ninja," a voice growled at him. Espio lifted his arms slowly and turned around to face the person who'd caught him. As he'd expected, it was another human, this one with a scar over his eye as he leered down at the lizard. The gun he held to Espio's face had a silencer on it, though that would hardly do him any good with the crowd just around the corner. In the man's other hand he held a small gray box. "We kinda figured there'd be some chammies around, so don't even think about going invisible. This little doohickey can pick up on the chip in your collar."

'_Yeah, because the Chaotix are stupid enough to let those things stay active,'_ Espio thought, though the knowledge did him little good now. Even if he did go invisible, the human would just shoot him and, at this range, the chances of him missing were slim to none. Quietly the human forced his captive back into the alley. _'Think Espio, think. You have to get out of this and back to Vector.'_

"Okay, this should be far enough," the man said as he stopped Espio. "One less problem to work ou…" A hard clang and a crack was heard as the man suddenly fell forward, his head bloody as he went down. Espio spun to find a reddish brown wallaby standing behind him, a slightly bent pipe. Espio's hands moved like lightning as he drew a kunai and buried the blade into the human's neck, finishing him off.

"Walt," the grateful chameleon said, just before the marsupial Mobian began to topple forward. Quickly Espio moved to catch him, finally noting the splotchy red blob on his friend's beige chest fur, as well as the sticky red patch on his head. Carefully the chameleon sat his rescuer down near the alley wall, kneeling to get a better look at his injuries. "What happened?"

"Don't… don't know," the wallaby said in a gasping voice, obviously in pain. "'S outside, havin' smoke while I watched door. Suddenly, guys… all around me. Shot me, tossed me in dumpster." He coughed a bit and Espio offered the watchman some support. "Managed to get out. Saw guy walk you back here." Espio held up his hand for Walt to conserve his strength.

"I know what happened after that," he said, hoping his voice sounded grateful. The ninja didn't really have that much experience with that. "We gotta get you some help." He moved to help the wallaby to his feet, only to be stopped by Walt himself.

"No… others. Went inside. Gotta… Gotta warn… Boss."

"We will, we will. But you need help no…"

"No Time!" the wallaby growled, grabbing hold of Espio. "Go warn everyone. Come back when you can." Espio's jaw clenched. Leaving a friend who obviously needed his help was not the way the purple ninja operated, but there was a certain level of sense coming out of Walt's mouth. Resolutely, Espio leaned Walt against the wall, hoping the motion didn't cause the wallaby too much pain.

"Stay out of sight. I will be back for you," he assured his fallen comrade before turning invisible again and leaving in silence. Alone now, Walt struggled to reach into his vest pocket and pull forth a packet of cigarettes. Finally he succeeded in getting one of the small, papery cylinders to his lips. His other hand gingerly lifted a red lighter before him, his thumb rolling the wheel three times before getting a flame suitable for lighting his cigarette. The lighter clattered to the ground as the wallaby's arms dropped to his sides, exhausted from their efforts. The tip of the cigarette glowed bright red for a moment or two as Walt sucked on the filter drawing the acrid smoke into his lungs. A brief satisfied smile crossed the mammal's face before his mouth relaxed back to neutrality, his eyes closing as the embers of the cigarette dim before it falls to the ground.

* * *

Inside one of the black vans, Shadow stood quietly, listening to the chatter as the humans got themselves into position. In the back of his mind, the dark hedgehog could sense the presence of the Topaz Star, shining like a homing beacon in the night. At the core of his being, Shadow wanted to dispense with all of this, go in, and take the fox by force, but he stilled this desire. Patience was the key here. Too many times they'd left an avenue for C2 to escape by being careless, by underestimating him. And because of that he'd gotten more powerful, more dangerous… and more endangered.

And there was another presence, faint and almost nonexistent, but there. It was too small to be the Ruby Blaze so Shadow could reasonably deduce the echidna Guardian wasn't here, but it disturbed him all the same.

_'Snively said that pink hedgehog had a strange hammer with her,'_ the Gray Dusk avatar thought, ancient memories bubbling to the surface of his mind. _'Could it be that she might have…'_

"How much longer until we're ready?" he asked, impatience stirring again. The communications officer looked at him steadily.

"We're just getting the last few units into position," he responded. "But there might be a problem."

"Problem?"

"I'm not able to raise Lt. Carlson."

"Who's he?"

"He was supposed to watch the back after his unit took out the guard and infiltrated the building. I haven't been able to get him on the communicator." Shadow's eyes narrowed.

"That is a problem. We may need to move quicker than we planned." The black hedgehog began to open the back of the van.

"Where are you going? You're supposed to wait until we've secured all the exits."

"Then secure them quickly. If your man's gone missing, then the chances are we're about to lose the element of surprise. I will not permit C2 to slip away this time."

* * *

Espio practically galloped through the back of Club Menagerie, his hand reaching into his pocket as he pulled forth a cell-phone. Reptillian eyes didn't even bother to look at the device as he pressed three buttons in sequence.

"Mighty, it's Espio."

"Espio? Dude, I'm right in the building, you don't have to…"

"Quiet, Mighty, we have a problem," the chameleon interrupted. "Someone's making a move on the building, and I think our guests are the targets."

"What?"

"A group of humans bushwhacked Walt, hurt him real bad," Espio left out just how bad. "They're inside the building now. But it's worse. There's people in the front, groups that don't belong. Vector sent me out to do some scout work and it looks like some kinda coordinated operation's about to go off."

"Right, I'll head up front, see what I can…"

"No. Stay put. Call Vector and let him know what's going on. Then make sure Sonic and his group are safe. Especially that fox cub. Dollars to ramen he's the one they're after. I'm gonna see if I can't find our little home invaders and thin their numbers out a bit."

"'Spi, that's not a good idea."

"No, it's not, but it's the only one we have right now." Before his armadillo friend could respond, Espio shut the phone off and stuffed it back in his pocket, his skin shimmering as his camouflage activated.

* * *

Vector took a sparing sip of his bourbon, his eyes darting around the big room as he continued to fill ill at ease. While waiting for Espio's return, he'd discreetly pulled a few of the waitresses aside, asking them to keep eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary.

The mood was definitely becoming stagnant. Even the club's actual revelers were feeling in less than free spirits, despite the fast beating music the DJ was playing.

A sudden vibration in his pants alerted the crocodile to an incoming call. Smoothly, so as not to attract attention, he lifted the phone from his pocket and opened it.

"Yo, this is Vector," he said casually.

"Vector, it's me Mighty. Espio says we have a problem."

"Well isn' that jus marvelous," the reptile replied, his voice still sounding casual, if a bit amused. "I don't s'pose you'd wanna share with me."

"He said Walt got ambushed outside, and some guys broke in through the back." A short pause. "And sir, he also said there were people upfront who were part of the group. He thinks it's some sort of invasion."

"Yeah, yeah, man, I can tot'ly see how that could happen." Once more Vector's yellow eyes surveyed the crowd. While he wasn't a ninja like his chameleon underling, Vector was an astute observer and, now that he knew there was something to look for, it didn't take him long figure out what. Too many tables were full at this time of the evening, full of people who didn't look like they'd come to have a good time, at least not the good time the Menagerie offered. "Defin'tely see how." Vector thought for a moment or two. "Don' suppose you got other plans, huh?"

"Espio's trying to track down the guys in the back. Do you need me to come up front?"

"I'd feel bet'er about it if we could, but that's not in the cards. Gonna have to get My Ol' Lady in on this probably."

"You sure that's a good idea? I can be up there to back you up in a minute."

"Nah, nah, you just stay put and have a blast with your friends," the croc semi-ordered. "I'll see if I can't get my own party started." With that Vector hung up and stood from his seat casually, sauntering back towards the door that led deeper into the club as though nothing was going on. On the way he passed the bar and, with a simple nod, summoned the gorilla barman towards him. "I think now would be a very good time to start encouraging our regulars to continue their parties elsewhere, Clyde," he whispered almost jovially. Clyde's eyebrow rose at his boss's declaration.

"Something goin' on Boss-Man?" he asked suspiciously, one of his bare feet sliding imperceptibly under the bar and towards the shot gun he kept there for emergencies.

"Things might start jumpin' real soon, man, just keep your head down and be ready," Vector explained, then added, "And get someone to go out and tell Itch and Charlie club's closing early tonight." Clyde nodded as Vector continued to saunter off. As soon as he was out of the main area of the club, the smile on his crocodilian lips disappeared and he began to walk much more hurriedly. Almost like magic a bulldog appeared.

"What's up boss?" the canine asked worriedly, picking up on the lizard Mobian's less than calm demeanor.

"Trouble. We're about ta be in a ton of it. Get as many boys together as you can and help clear out the club. No use putting our customers at risk if we can help it. Make sure everyone's armed too. I don' know when this keg's gonna go kablooey but I want everyone ready."

"Right Boss," the dog said, turning to leave.

"And send a couple of guys to Charmy's room. Mighty should be there with some V.I.P.s. Make sure they stay safe."

"On it." Again the bulldog took off, disappearing down the hallway. Satisfied things were getting done, Vector made a beeline for the elevator, climbing into the car to ride up to his office. Tonight was going to be a long night.

To be Continued…


	11. Battle of the Emeralds

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Sonic the Hedgehog, the characters are owned by SEGA, and I am merely using them for my own amusement. No money is being made on this story, either by me, or anyone else for that matter.

Author's Note: Wow! Has it really been more than a year since I updated this? I really did not mean for this to lapse for so long. And honestly I can't even blame moving and setting up my new place, given I have written little fic-lets for other series. Have you ever had a story that basically sets itself up as scenes that need to be connected? Sadly that's what happened here. Believe it or not several of the scenes in this chapter have been a long, long time coming (the final one here actually having the effect of being the partial inspiration for this whole story), but getting them here has been tricky, especially with wanting to keep this story up to my usual standards. Hopefully the next chapter won't take nearly so long to write, and will probably end this part of the story, so I do hope I haven't lost any loyal readers who wanted to see the end of this. I'm here for the long haul and already have the grand finale for the whole thing planned out in my head. As always, read and review, I love knowing how I'm doing. Ciao for now.

* * *

Chapter 10: Battle of the Emeralds

* * *

Espio moved through the building in camo-mode, hoping he didn't run into any fellow Chaotix as he did so. If they knew what was going on, they'd probably be in a shoot first ask questions later mood, and the last thing he needed was to have to disable potential help he might need later.

_'Mighty should be able to handle anybody that makes it to Charmy's room,'_ he thought to himself. _'But I need to be the one to track them down before they manage to find it.'_ Espio's eyes darted around the hallways, looking for any signs that a group of heavily armed men had traveled through here. A part of him wished he had an advanced sense of smell like a canine rather than his own innate chameleon abilities. Optical camouflage was great if you didn't want to be detected, but useless for the purposes of finding someone who didn't want to be found.

This thought was passing through Espio's mind just as he made a turn around a corner. Instincts honed from years of survival training broke his train of thought instantly as his legs pushed him back behind the corner just in time to avoid some automatic gunfire directed right at him. Panting heavily from his near death experience, the ninja quickly composed himself, focusing on some breathing techniques he'd learned during his training. It would not take long for his attackers to gather the courage to check and see if they'd hit him. Drawing out one of his kunai, Espio angled the flat of the blade to reflect what was around the corner in its shiny surface. Sure enough there were two humans at the other end of the hall, dressed in the same manner as the man Espio had encountered outside and aiming automatic rifles ahead of them. Halfway down the hall a rather pudgy lynx laid in a pool of blood, obviously a victim of ambush the same way the chameleon had almost been.

_'Not much to work with here, and no time to try to find a way around them,'_ he thought to himself. The hallway was twenty feet or so long, which gave his attackers a distinct advantage. Invisibility would keep him from getting shot for a while, but with those automatics firing at full tilt it would be only a matter of time before a bullet got him, and then he'd be so much lizard meat. _'Anyone with any sense would just walk away from this,'_ the chameleon griped in his head.

Taking one last look at the mirrored surface of his throwing knife, Espio memorized where the two humans were before pulling the blade back close to him. His hand closed around the shiny knife as he went invisible, masking it as he did so. One breath. Two breaths. Three breaths.

With a mighty leap Espio left his hiding spot racing into the hall at an angle. His footsteps betrayed his motion as bullets began to fly. The chameleon hopped forward for the wall, throwing his weapon without even looking. A strangled cry followed be the cessation of one of the rifles firing indicated he'd hit his target and eliminated half of his current problems. But there was no time to celebrate.

With his hands now free, Espio dropped to all fours, his natural stickiness allowing him to move along the wall as he made for the ceiling. Apparently the human had predicted this movement as bullets began to chip away at Espio's path as he moved. Once on the ceiling, the ninja dropped back to the floor, landing right behind the prone form of the unfortunate lynx even as the gun continued to follow his presupposed path to the opposite wall. Grabbing hold of the dead cat's fur, Espio hefted him up and charged forward, his camouflage dropping as he went into a dead run. The rifle aimed and fired, but Espio's grisly shield managed to stop the bullets and protect him.

Soon they were in close combat range. Realizing his gun was now a hindrance; the human dropped the firearm, his arm swinging backward in a fluid motion as he drew his secondary weapon. Espio saw the move and, with a heave that might have made Mighty proud, slammed his improvised shield into his assailant's face. His world suddenly full of blood and fur, the soldier stepped back, giving Espio enough time to draw another kunai. A glint of steel out of the corner of his eye caused the chameleon to shift his weight just in time to avoid a combat knife aimed at his neck. He still felt the sharp edge of the blade as it grazed his skin, drawing blood even through the now strictly ornamental collar he wore. A meaty arm tore the lynx's body away and wiped blood from eyes as the soldier looked down at his quarry.

_'Have to end this quick ninja, you're not stronger than a human,'_ Espio chided himself as he pressed forward again, relying on speed to compensate for strength. His feet found purchase in the body armor of his opponent's stomach as the short Mobian shot upward, already feeling it as the man's arm began to wrap around and try to stab him. With a hard thrust Espio drove his kunai up into the man's throat and mouth, the sharp point sliding easily into the soft tissue of his jaw and making its way into the brain for a killing blow. A gurgling groan signaled he'd hit his mark. Wasting no time Espio continued to climb, determined not to join this soldier in death by escaping his ever tightening embrace. Even as the man fell backwards Espio began to flip through the air, his trajectory thrown off only by the sensation of the combat knife biting into the end of his tail. Still, it was a good ending.

Alone, Espio made sure the two humans were dead, and then turned his attention to the lynx that had helped to facilitate his survival. The abused corpse was bullet riddled now, but the face had miraculously survived.

"Larry," Espio said sadly, closing the cat's eyes. Larry had been a good cat, very dependable, and funny too. He'd also been a favorite pigeon of Espio's during poker night, especially since he seemed to have absolutely no luck at gambling. Anger flashed across the chameleon's face. "Two down and three up," he said, yanking his knives out of the two fallen soldiers. "No way I'm gonna call that even." At a quick pace Espio continued his pursuit, activating his optical camouflage as he did so.

* * *

"Mighty, what's going on?" Sonic asked his friend, noticing the armadillo once more checking the hall outside their room by barely opening the door. Such actions did not strike Sonic as being particularly comforting.

"Hm? Oh, nothing, nothing Sonic," Mighty replied with a smile, the same cheesy, reassuring smile he tended to have when he tried to hide the fact that the cops were about to bust down Sonic's apartment door. That he'd had Charmy all but mute the sound on his video game completely killed the credibility of his statement. Sonic turned back to their insectoid host.

"Charmy, you still able to access the security of this building?" he asked. An insulted look came to the bee's face as he rose into the air.

"Of course I can. You just killed the outside line earlier. Not like the internal… why are you shaking your head at me Mighty you know I'm right?!" Sonic's head swiveled just too slow to catch the armadillo's actions, though he was treated to the cheesy smile again.

"You gonna come clean now, Dillo, or do I get your friend here to show me what you're trying to hide." Mighty exhaled in annoyance.

"Fine, but you're not gonna like it. Espio called. Says some guys busted their way into the building, and Vector wants us to stay here until he can fix it." He cast a glance over at Tails. "Not for nothing, but this doesn't sound like some run of the mill police raid. I don't have to tell you who we think these guys are after."

"You're right," Sonic responded. "I don't like this. We need to get out of here."

"Vector said to stay."

"So. Stay. But I need to get my family outta here before we get trapped." The "rata-tat-tat" of a gun out in the hall drew both Mobians' attention.

"Hate to say it Sonic, but it looks like that ship has sailed," Mighty pointed out. Then he gripped his friend's shoulder. "Look, I know you don't like this, and I know you're not a hundred percent on trusting Boss Vector, but he's trying to help ya. Maybe it isn't for the best of reasons, yeah, but so far he's the only one who's been willing to include keeping you, your sibs, and Amy alive as well. Trust me when I say you're safer toughin' it out here than trying to make a run for it." A quiet growl escaped Sonic's nose as he considered his best friend's words.

"You're right. We go out there; we could be sitting targets for more robots." Sonic looked back at Manic and Sonia. "Okay, we stay until it's safer to move. What's the plan?" Mighty closed the door through which he'd been spying out into the hallway.

"Like I said, we stay here. Make 'em search us out. Vector's gonna send some backup and I know Espio's on the case."

"Being a rat in a trap doesn't appeal to me Might."

"Relax, we might not be able to leave, but that doesn't mean we're helpless." He looked over to Charmy. "We're probably gonna need a way to contact Omega." The bee hovered in the air for a minute before heading over to his powered down computer, rifling through the desk drawers.

"I had to send Omega back to the warehouse to re-arm and recharge after he beat those Egg-Hunters," the little tech-head called back. "But that doesn't mean we're cut off." Charmy pulled out what looked like a miniature handheld television set, made even more so by the antennae he extended from its top. The flick of a switch turned the device on. "Come in Big Metal Buddy, this is the Lord of the Cyber-Ring calling." From the box, a scratchy voice responded.

"STUPID CODE NAME RECEIVED. VOICE PRINT VERIFIED AS Charmy Bee. WHY ARE YOU BOTHERING ME DURING NAPPY TIME?" Sonic recognized the voice as belonging to the giant robot Mighty had referred to as Omega. At the condemnation of his chosen codename, Charmy seemed a little disheartened, but continued onward.

"Big problems going down at the Menagerie, Omega. Lotta bad guys looking for a fight and we could use some help teachin' 'em a lesson. Think you can lend a hand?"

"HMM. INCURSION INTO CHAOTIX HOME BASE BY HOSTILE FORCES. POTENTIAL FOR MAYHEM: ACCEPTABLE. RESUPPLY COMPLETE. WILL BE ENROUTE TO CLUB MENAGERIE IN TWENTY-SIX SECONDS. SUGGESTED COURSE OF ACTION: LEAVE SOME FOR ME!" With that the transmission shut off and Charmy smiled at the group.

"Big Bot is on his way. I figure at the speed he moves he should be here in a little under a half hour. And that's only if he decides not to go through any buildings." The Chaotix hacker chuckled at his own joke.

"Good job, now let's shut everything down," Mighty said. "No sense letting them know this room is occupado if they don't open the door."

"I've got the lights," Tails said as he reached up to flip the switch. Just as his hand touched the wall something strange happened.

It was as though his spirit was suddenly pulled from his body, his point of view shifting as he traveled through the walls, hallways, and even the now embattled dance room of the Menagerie.

His vision swam a bit as he left the building, going out its front door.

And then Tails saw him, standing outside, arms crossed and a scowl on his face. In the night breeze ruffled his dark fur and fanned his red jacket. His crimson eyes glared at the building, his body rigid.

"I know you are here, little brother, and I will find you."

A sudden blink and Tails was once more back in Charmy's room, his fur standing on end as his body shivered.

"Shadow's coming," he said in a voice chilled with fear.

* * *

"Hruk!" Charlie gagged as he was slammed against the brick wall, the hand that had shoved him not releasing his throat as it did so. As a consequence the German Sheppard was finding it difficult to recover his breath.

"Charlie!" a distressed dachshund yelled as he fumbled in his jacket for the gun he usually kept to deal with the most resolute troublemakers. Itchy raised the weapon at his friend's assailant, then howled in pain as a gloved hand swiped at him, unbelievably slicing the gun in half, as well as a few of dachshund digits.

Shadow didn't so much as crack a smile as he threw the first Mobian into the second. The two dogs had mistaken him for a potential patron and tried to warn him off coming inside, stating that the club was closing early for the night. It hadn't taken much for the hedgehog to figure out why, and he'd quickly moved to neutralize the two potential interlopers.

Reaching around his back under his jacket, Shadow pulled forth his own firearm, a Walter P38 and aimed it at the two dogs, firing. There was no need to waste his chaos powers on a pair of low-life weaklings. Footsteps behind him indicated that the G.U.N. soldiers disguised as police SWAT had followed him. The official story would be that while responding to an armed disturbance at the Menagerie, a known criminal hangout, they'd been unable to prevent a massacre of everyone inside. Of course, if everyone who was inside was found dead, that would only lend credence to the story, a fact Shadow had not been predisposed to let the groups that had gone in to set up the ambush know.

The guards dealt with, Shadow marched towards the club's front doors, throwing them open as he entered. Behind him the soldiers followed. The dark hedgehog moved quickly through the entryway, his back-up taking positions along the wall to keep them from being exposed.

Inside the club was in chaos. Shadow had been correct in thinking something had tipped off the Chaotix, and now the soldiers that had been sent to infiltrate the establishment and make it easier to conquer were in a firefight with the criminal Mobians. What was worse was that they appeared to be losing if the fact that they hadn't managed to gain any real ground was an indication.

"Idiots," Shadow muttered. "Don't they realize we don't have all night to do this?"

"What are your orders, sir?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Spread out and keep the Chaotix off me. Keep everyone off me. I'm going to head into the back and search for our target."

"We already have a team back there searching for him," another soldier pointed out. "You'd probably be more help up here subduing these fur balls." The dark hedgehog glared at the man.

"I'm not here to protect you; you're here to protect me. Don't forget that. Especially if someone out there gets trigger-happy and thinks I'm one of the enemy." With that Shadow began to move across the dance floor, ducking and weaving as he did so to avoid unnecessary obstacles. As a living chaos emerald, mere bullets couldn't kill Shadow unless he himself believed they could, but that didn't mean he was overly fond of getting hit.

Suddenly a green chameleon decloaked in front of him.

"Hey, where are you going? The fights out here," the Mobian demanded. Before the lizard could raise his weapon, Shadow's foot caught him in stomach, doubling him over. The pressure of a fist's blow came to the hedgehog's head as a second chameleon appeared next to him. The surprise nature of the attack caught the emerald avatar off guard, but only for a moment. Recovering quickly, Shadow caught the second lizard around the throat, even as he tried to disappear again. Wielding the gangster like a cudgel, he swung the chameleon over onto his partner, collapsing them both to the ground. Quickly Shadow sidestepped, just in time to allow his human allies to open fire on the two Mobians, reducing them to so much cold meat.

His obstacle removed, Shadow pressed onward. The kitchen seemed the most likely place to get access to the back section of the building, so the black hedgehog made his way there. He was all but unstoppable. Any Mobians who tried quickly found themselves on the receiving end of Shadow's gun or struggling to avoid the cover fire he received to press forward. Inside the kitchen he caught a few of the wait-staff, cowering in a corner as the battle raged outside. For a brief moment Shadow considered turning his weapon on them, there weren't supposed to be survivors to this after all, but thought better of it. Leave the clean up to the monkeys in body armor.

Quickly Shadow began to jog down the hallway, his senses opening up as he tried to feel out his target. The Topaz Star was still in the building, of that he was sure, but pinpointing where it was would be the tricky part.

Shadow smirked. He loved a challenge.

* * *

"Send out the fox brat now!" barked one of the intruders as the sound of gunfire ceased. From where Sonic and his crew took shelter inside Charmy's room, Mighty grinned a bit.

"Nice of them not to insult us by offering to let us live if we complied, huh?" he snarked back to his friends.

"No, it's very, very bad," Charmy whimpered back as he cowered on the couch, his small body crouched behind the armrest.

"Any idea why these goons haven't charged us yet?" Sonic asked, trying to get back on topic.

"I'd like to think they're afraid we might have something dangerous in here with us, but I'd be more willing to bet they don't want to risk the kid getting lacerated by accident." Tails didn't even react to this. Indeed it didn't seem as though the kit was reacting to anything anymore, just sitting against the wall with his knees to his chest muttering "Shadow is coming, Shadow is coming" over and over under his breath. Sonia and Manic were next to him, trying to get him to snap out whatever breakdown he was experiencing.

Mighty again opened the door a crack. The hallway was dark, no doubt the lights had been victims of whoever was attacking, but the armadillo could still make out the shapes of the soldiers cautiously making their way towards the Mobians' hiding spot.

"Don't suppose you could race down there and take these goons out with those fancy feet of yours?" Mighty asked his friend. Sonic shook his head.

"Not enough room to maneuver. If it was only one guy sure, but I wouldn't get too far before those guns would rip me to pieces." Sonic paused for a bit. "What about you? This is your place; don't you have some kind of home field advantage?"

"I'm tough, Hedgehog, but I ain't bullet-proof," Mighty conceded.

"I say we wait it out," Charmy suggested. "Yeah, wait it out. Omega'll be here soon, and Vector too. They can handle this."

"Yeah, unless they do it in the next minute or so, we're shit out of luck," Mighty explained. Sonic walked towards the wall opposite of the door.

"Where's this lead?" he asked.

"Outside, but the walls are re-enforced concrete." Sonic touched the wall to the right.

"And this?"

"Just plaster and wood." Sonic smiled as he backed up a bit, stripping off his jacket as he did so.

"Everyone get ready to head out. And someone grab my jacket, I don't want to lose it." Running in place, Sonic leapt forward, tucking his body into a prickly ball. Sharp quills bit into the plaster as the hedgehog began to cut through the wall, carving out a brand new exit from the room.

"You heard the man, let's hit it," Mighty said as he grabbed his friend's jacket. Tails roused from his spot and everyone made their escape. In the next room Sonic had already finished another impromptu door for them. Three more rooms were renovated before Sonic ran into a problem in the form of two armored humans aiming automatic rifles at him.

"Road hazard!" Sonic yelled as he untucked himself and grabbed hold of the edge of his most recently made hole, dodging out of the way of the guns. Ricocheting off the inside wall, Sonic delivered a roundhouse kick to the left man's head. He attempted to swat the hedgehog away, but Sonic was too quick, grabbing hold of the man's arm to drive his spiky head into the man's side. Sonic lost his momentum when he spotted the second human taking aim at them. Aborting his attack, the hedgehog dropped to the ground and scrambled away, narrowly avoiding the incoming bullets. A loud growl announced the presence of Mighty as he barreled into the gunman with his fist. The first soldier was already recovering, drawing a handgun from his holster before Sonic kicked the weapon from his hand. Mobian and human scrambled for the gun. Sonic was quick, but he didn't watch his legs as the soldier roughly grabbed him and yanked his smaller body away. Just as he was about to grab the pistol, a pink hammer slammed into the ground right on his hand.

"AHHH!" the soldier screamed as Amy lifted her weapon, allowing him to cradle the injured appendage.

"Sorry, I'm really not the violent type," the nurse explained, though the hammer was still at the ready in case her opponent decided to come at her. A hand swung down to pick up the contested hand gun.

"I, on the other hand, am," Mighty bragged as he took aim.

"Hands up where I can see them fur balls!" another human called from the doorway proper, his rifle aimed not at Sonic but at the underage members of the group, Sonia, Manic, and Charmy. Reluctantly Sonic and Amy both raised their hands, but Mighty seemed somewhat reluctant to comply. Quietly Sonic began to figure out just how fast he'd need to move in case Mighty tried to call the soldier's bluff, but this proved unnecessary when the man suddenly let out a stifled groan and fell forward, a large combat knife sticking out of his back. Espio entered the room, dusting off his hands.

"I took out the other guy back at Charmy's room," he explained. "Near as I can tell, that's all of 'em."

"'Bout time you showed up," the snide bee said, while managing to sneak a note of sincere gratitude into his otherwise obnoxious voice.

"Good job 'Spi," Mighty congratulated. "I don't suppose there's a Part B to this rescue though?"

"Staying safe would seem to be the best course of action," Espio responded. "Vector says he's going to bust out his 'Ol' Lady' to deal with whoever's attacking us, so I think it would be a good idea to get to the upper levels of the club, away from the carnage."

"Sounds like a plan," Sonic admitted, though his tone made it clear he would have preferred to just leave the whole place behind.

"Good, then just let me finish up here and we can go." Espio drew another kunai and walked towards the two prone humans. Realizing his intent, Sonic cast a look back at his brother and sister and immediately stepped into the chameleon's way.

"Woah, woah, woah. You can't just kill these guys while their helpless," he said, holding up his hands to block the ninja's path.

"I beg to differ, Hedgehog, it's remarkably easy. Much easier, in fact, than trying to do it while they're shooting at me." Espio took another step forward, but Sonic refused to move.

"No," he said firmly. "I'm not gonna let you just butcher them." Espio's glare hardened.

"And what do you propose? We leave them here to wake up; maybe let them take more potshots at us? Or at them?" A purple gloved finger pointed over at Sonia and Manic.

"No. But there has to be a better way. Can't we just tie them up or something?"

"Do you SEE any rope around here? Now get out of my way and let me do my job." Espio shouldered past Sonic, ready to perform his grisly duty, when Sonic's hand suddenly griped his wrist. The chameleon's eyes narrowed. "You want to let go of me now, Hedgehog," he growled.

"Guys, I love a good dust up as much as the next guy, but this isn't the time," Mighty said as he pulled the two apart. Then he turned to Sonic. "I hate to say this, but maybe it's time you took a backseat; let us handle the problem."

"I'm not going to just let him kill two people."

"Then you probably shouldn't have let Mighty distract you," Espio suddenly said as he walked past, sheathing a bloody kunai as he did so. A glance backward revealed two very dead humans now lying behind them, much to the hedgehog's distress. Like a shot he was before Espio.

"Murderous…"

"What Hedgehog? I'm not someone known for mercy, in case you forgot. And for the record, you could stand to be a little more grateful for all the help we're giving you."

"Help like yours I don't want," Sonic replied. Espio sneered.

"Then by all means, be my guest. If we offend your sensibilities so much, then please leave. I'm sure you'll be just fine."

"Vector said we're supposed to protect them," Mighty reminded him.

"Then he should shut up and let me do so." Espio opened the door of the room leading back out into the hall a crack, casting a glance outward. "It looks like we're clear here, we should probably get while the getting is good." With that the purple chameleon took point, leading them out.

* * *

The door to Vector's office opened as the big lizard entered, a look of irritation on his face. The impetus for the irritation was plain to see if you looked down at his club, though the reason was more directed at himself.

_'Stupid croc, you shoulda seen this comin','_ he thought to himself as he marched over to his desk. _'Cyberon isn't the type of opponent you can just "turn a corner" and expect to lose in the street. Especially when you're dumb enough ta leave a trail for 'em to follow._' The big lizard pulled out one of the drawers in his desk, reaching inside it to press a button concealed at its back. The paneling of a wall split in two and slid to the sides in response, revealing Vector's "Old Lady;" a massive, six barreled, fully automatic Gatling gun.

With a loud grunt the Mobian gangster hefted the large weapon off of its stand, checking the ammunition feeds to make sure they were still clear after so much disuse. While Vector was not a violent Mobian, he lived on a violent world, in a violent city, and had a violent profession. So was it all that unbelievable some of it had rubbed off on him.

Satisfied the weapon was in working order, Vector turned to exit his office.

"Time to evict some troublemakers."

* * *

Shadow closed his eyes, allowing the chaos emerald within him to take control. The emeralds were attracted to one another when awakened, so the Gray Dusk should simply pull him towards the Topaz Star. In theory at least.

Breaking into a brisk jog, the dark hedgehog moved down the hallways as he began his search in earnest. C2 was inside somewhere, and Shadow would find him. Anything that got in his way suffered his wrath, whether they were Mobian or his own human allies.

_'Where are you, little brother?'_ the dark hedgehog thought in irritation. Two bears turned the corner just as he approached, their weapons at the ready. Upon seeing a hedgehog approaching them, they hesitated, a fact Shadow took lethal advantage of. The two ursines disposed of, Shadow continued on his way. Suddenly, a twinge of fear not his own appeared in the back of his mind. Immediately he knew the Topaz Star was close, C2's emotions were being broadcast to clearly for him to hide. Smiling triumphantly, Shadow focused on where the sensation was coming from.

C2 was above him, but heading back towards the front room of the club, no doubt hoping to use the chaos to escape. His smile becoming as scowl, Shadow raised a hand above his head.

"Chaos Spear!" he cried, blasting a hole into the ceiling. With a hard jump the emerald avatar was airborne and on the second floor.

* * *

Espio moved quickly and silently, his entourage following behind even as his optical camouflage made him fairly difficult to keep track of. Fortunately Mighty knew his way around the building almost as well as Espio, and thus could keep them close to the chameleon. Sonic tried to keep his ears peeled for anymore attackers, lest their ninja bodyguard decide to do more killing.

"Mighty, what do we do once we get to the top floors?" the blue hedgehog asked of his oldest friend. "You guys have a helicopter or something?" Mighty laughed at that.

"This isn't a skyscraper, Sonic, it's a nightclub. We're gonna use the roof to get to the alleys. Hopefully by then Omega will be able to provide some cover to get us out of here."

"Assuming we get that fa…" Sonic was interrupted as a sudden explosion of light and sound tore a hole in the floor ahead of them, surprising everyone. A dark figure leapt through the resultant hole, making a perfect three point landing before them.

"There you are," the newcomer declared, red eyes glaring into the group. Sonic suddenly felt someone grab hold of his hand. A quick look down revealed this to be Tails, who seemed to be struggling to keep his breath.

"Who the hell are you?" Mighty asked of the black hedgehog, in no mood for games.

"My name is Shadow, and I'm…" This time it was the interloper who was interrupted as a kunai suddenly spiked into his chest, forcing him to backpedal a bit from the group.

"Get out of our way," Espio said, remaining invisible even as he readied another knife to throw. Angrily Shadow looked up in the direction of the thrown weapon.

"That was a mistake, reptile," he said, his eyes locking on the exact part of the ceiling Espio had anchored himself to. "You might have escaped unnoticed if you hadn't done that." Espio dropped to the floor, his camouflage fading as he stared intently at his opponent. Having years of experience as a professional hitman, the chameleon knew danger when he saw it, and this hedgehog screamed danger.

"Mighty, change of plans," the purple lizard said. "Get everyone back downstairs."

"Nah, we can take this schmuck, 'Spi," Mighty assured his partner, cracking his knuckles as he sneered at the hedgehog.

"No, you can't," Shadow corrected him, as he pulled the kunai out of his jacket. The blade wasn't even bloody as he tossed it away. Glaring at the hedgehog, Espio reached into one of his pockets for some special ordinance.

"Mighty, just get out of here while I keep this asshole busy," the ninja again ordered. "I get the feeling we're staring at the guy behind this whole mess, and I'd like to have a few words with him about Larry and Walt." The armadillo looked at his friend for a minute, and then made his decision. The more time the wasted, the better chance their enemies had of ensnaring their target.

"Make sure you catch up to us once you're done with this joker," he said as he tapped Sonic's shoulder for him to move. Though the blue speedster looked like he too would have preferred to stay and fight, he could also see time was of the essence right now. Quickly the group began to leave, even as Shadow moved to give chase. Before the dark Mobian could get far, Espio intercepted him, hurling three small gray balls between them. As each of the sphere made contact with the floor, they shattered, releasing clouds of thick, black smoke as they did so. Espio turned invisible again, charging forward into the smoke as he did so. Even in the manufactured darkness, Shadow's dark fur stood out, making him an easy target. Holding three more knives between his knuckles like claws, Espio struck, swiping at Shadow's exposed neck for what he hoped would be a fatal first blow.

Before the kunai could cut, Shadow leaned backward, avoiding the slash. The black hedgehog grabbed hold of the chameleon's extended arm, yanking him forward and out of the smoke. Espio grunted as he was thrown against the wall, the plaster cracking as his body struck and his knives falling to the ground. Quickly the ninja squirmed his wrist out of the hedgehog's grip, crouching to the ground as he used his tail to strike at his opponent's legs. The strike connected, but Shadow did not budge. Espio's eyes widened as Shadow's foot suddenly stamped on his tail before his other leg kicked the lizard in the face. Espio grabbed one of his fallen kunai, hurling the blade where his opponent's head was. The attack missed its mark as Shadow leaned out of the way, but the movement did cause the hedgehog to shift his weight enough that the ninja was able to get out from under him.

"Okay, so you're not as weak as the rest of your cronies," Espio said as he spit out a tooth. "That one was my mistake." Espio shifted into camouflage mode. "And this is yours." Shadow's eyes darted about as he tried to figure out where his opponent would strike from. Though he would have much preferred to go after C2, the emerald avatar wasn't about to leave such a dangerous opponent behind him. Acting on instinct, Shadow raised his forearm, blocking a quick and invisible punch aimed at his face.

The arm retreated before Shadow could grab it. Red eyes narrowed. This had to end quickly.

* * *

Mighty led his friends back down the stairs quickly, silently hoping Espio would be all right by himself.

_'Don't get worked up Might, 'Spi's a big boy and can take care of himself. Important part right now is to follow Vector's orders and get Sonic and his crew out of here,'_ the armadillo thought.

"Stop right the… Argh!" yelled a human as he tried to block their way, only to get a vicious shoulder from Mighty for his trouble.

"We've gotta keep moving," Tails whimpered, casting a scared glance behind him. "Espio won't be able to keep Shadow busy for long."

"Espio's a fighter kid, he won't go down without a fight," Mighty assured the cub.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"You're just a barrel of optimism, aren't you," Charmy said, though the bee looked worried himself. A sudden explosion from below only served to exacerbate his feeling. "Ahhh! Are they trying to bring the stinking building down on our heads?!" the panicked techie screamed. Amy took hold of the frightened boy, trying to comfort him, or at least keep him from bolting off in terror.

"Mighty, what's the plan?" Sonic asked before the panic could spread to the other children in their group.

"I'm… I'm not sure."

"The plan is we turn these jerks into chum," Vector said as he stepped out of his private elevator, weapon in hand.

"Vector!" Charmy yelled happily, breaking free of Amy's hold and flying over to the security of the croc's shoulder.

"Boss, we got bushwhacked by a guy upstairs," Mighty informed his boss. "Espio's dealing with him…"

"Good man," Vector said, confident the ninja could handle himself. Then his head turned to Charmy. "You holdin' up kid?"

"No," the bee said, shaking his head. Vector chuckled a bit, patting the insect's head.

"Just stay close ta me, Charms, you'll be all right." Vector turned back to his enforcer. "Anything else ta tell me?"

"I had Charmy contact Omega. He should be arriving soon, so if we hold out we'll be getting reinforcements."

"Hold out nothin'. These jackasses are shootin' up my boys and tearin' up my club. Omega can have 'em after I'm done tearing inta their hides." So saying the large croc led the way, a furious look in his eye. It took them no time at all to make it to the doors to Menagerie's main room, a fact that caused Sonic to give pause.

"Wait a minute, I'm not taking my sibs into a fire fight Vec." Vector nodded at the hedgehog.

"Don't expect you to. You and the kids hang back here where it's safe. Once we clear out enough of the front end we can move you." Sonic nodded as the croc turned back to the doors. Growling, the reptilian gave the doors a sharp kick, hefting his weapon as he entered the battle. "All right scumbags, I'm telling ya right now ta get the HELL outta my club!" the mob boss roared, firing the Gatling gun into the room. Though the G.U.N. soldiers were well trained, Vector cut a rather imposing figure as he erupted from the doorway, even more so as the barrels of the Gatling gun began to spin, spitting out bullets both at high velocity and high volume. Those Chaotix who could dove for cover as their leader opened fire, bullets chewing through overturned tables and walls.

As the hail of gunfire ended, the Mobians pressed their new advantage, advancing against the pseudo-policemen and closing ranks with the humans. Though most of them did not possess the height advantage their opponents did, the gangsters made up for it with claws, teeth, and numbers. That the soldiers had to be aware of Vector as he periodically provided cover-fire kept them from coordinating en masse against the Mobians.

"Attention all units, attention," one of the soldiers said into his walkie, "all units converge to ingress point one for reinforcement."

Mighty's eyes narrowed as he watched the fighting, his jaw clenching. From where they stood protected, he looked to his blue friend.

"Sonic, I'm going in to help," he said, only to stop when Sonic grabbed hold of the armadillo's shoulder. Thinking his friend was going to try to talk him out of this course of action, the enforcer was a touch surprised that Sonic wasn't even looking at him.

"Not for nothing, Might, but I don't think Vec's gonna be needing help in that direction." This seemed true enough. With Vector's help the Chaotix were quite swiftly turning the tide, forcing the humans back out the doors of Menagerie. A few soldiers did try to remove the croc, but each attempt was met by ferocious opposition by his underlings, not to mention the fierce cry of his gun. On Vector's shoulder Charmy shouted encouragement, emboldened by clearly being on what was the winning side. Finally the humans began a full retreat to the parking lot.

"Mighty, bring 'em out, we're leaving," Vector commanded, charging forward to keep up with the fight.

"Looks like the party's moving outside," Mighty said, motioning for Sonic and company to follow him as they moved to the door. Outside the battle was indeed still raging, with faux-cops having assumed defensive positions around their vans. Though the humans had been driven back a ways, they were holding their ground now, thanks in no small part to now having access to more of the weaponry they'd brought. The Chaotix took cover where they could, fighting conservatively as they looked for a way to once more go on the offensive.

"How long do you think you guys can keep this up?" Sonic asked as he watched the firefight. In the darkness he could see more soldiers taking up positions, reinforcements no doubt.

"I'm not sure," Mighty stated. "Menagerie's our base of operations, so we're pretty well fortified, but no one probably ever thought we'd have to hold off the frelling army." Suddenly one of the vans exploded as a familiar robot landed between the two groups, its head spinning as its burly arms snapped into position. "About frelling time."

"ASSAULT MODEL E-2000 SERIES OMEGA UNIT HAS ARRIVED!" the robot announced in a rather loud voice. "ALL ENEMY COMBATANTS WILL LINE UP FOR IMMEDIATE BUTTKICKING!" A pair of missiles launched from the robot's back, destroying another van and scattering more soldiers. The Chaotix cheered, even as their enemies continued to fire.

"Mighty, keep the kids safe," Sonic said as he began to move out of the doorway.

"What are you doing?"

"Your bot's tough, but these guys are too organized. I'm gonna try to disrupt their lines, make us an escape route."

"That's suicide Sonic. Not only will you be amongst the enemy, your own side will be shooting in your direction," Mighty said, grabbing his friend's arm.

"I'm fast enough I should be able avoid getting shot, and the longer this goes on the more time this Snively joker has to trap us." Mighty gritted his teeth, clearly disliking sending his friend out alone, but also knowing he would be of little use in a firefight.

"Fine, just be careful out there."

"I'll come with you Sonic," Manic offered loyally, only to be stopped by his brother.

"No way, dude, I need you to hold down the fort for me," Sonic said, glancing back at where Tails was casting frightened glances behind them, no doubt worried about another. "You look after our friend, and when I get enough of a break for you all to run, make sure he runs. Got it?"

"You can count on me Sonic," the green boy said, grabbing hold of the fox's hand and startling him out of his nervousness. Sonic nodded and turned to head out, his body bristling as he shook himself loose.

Like a shot he was off, a blue blur of speed racing towards the entrenched G.U.N. soldiers. Avoiding getting caught in the crossfire, the hedgehog moved in from the side, circling about the vans. Some of the soldiers on the side noticed his approach and aimed their weapons, but too few to halt his advance. Sonic's body tucked into a ball, barreling in at full speed, much to the surprise of those soldiers who hadn't noticed him. Quickly the humans recovered, trying to divide their efforts between the Chaotix and the attack going on in their midst.

Sonic untucked himself, springing up at one of the soldiers and jamming a palm into the man's chin. A kicked foot met another one, but soon Sonic found himself twisting in the air to avoid a swung knife. Quickly he recovered; head-butting the knife wielder in the stomach, a slight mistake considering the Kevlar the man was wearing. A nearby explosion caused by another one of Omega's missiles drew everyone's attention, and Sonic could sense that a few of his opponents were not made of the same steel as their compatriots.

"It's pretty clear you guys aren't really cops, no matter what you're wearing right now," the hedgehog said as he brought down two more disguised soldiers. "I mean, even the SWAT doesn't just open fire without making sure there are no civilians present. Based on the stuff you jokers are packin', I'm guessing you're military, right?"

"Shut up you little rode…" Another of the "cops" went down, granting Sonic access to one of the vans.

"Ha, knew it," Sonic said as he looked at the equipment inside, grabbing hold of a few grenades as he did so. Yanking a ring out of one of the small explosives, Sonic lobbed it back into the van before kicking off again. As the van ignited, the hedgehog used the force of the explosion to launch himself further into the ranks. "So if you guys are military, and you're real target is my friend, I'm guessing you jerk-offs have a connection with a company called Cyberon." Sonic moved quickly as the soldiers tried to attack him, employing his speed to disable each opponent before rolling the second of his grenades under another van, this one with some dishes on its roof. Two men raced out of the back of the van as the grenade exploded, running straight into Sonic's fists. "Thing is, I'm pretty sure from what I've seen Cyberon ain't the kinda company that lets everyone know its dirty little secrets. So I'm guessing you guys don't know jack about what you're actually after." The hedgehog ducked quickly to avoid incoming gunfire from the Chaotix. Quietly he growled, hoping someone on his side had at least noticed he was over here.

His anger dissipated as two more of the soldiers attacked him, both armed with knives. Sonic tucked and rolled, avoiding the swipes of the blades before bounding back into the two men's legs. This ended up saving their lives as a roaring rocket thrust heralded the arrival of Omega.

"What are you doing here?" Sonic asked as the robot fired two missiles at particularly thick knots of the enemy.

"VECTOR ORDERED ME TO BREAK THROUGH THE ENEMY LINES," the robot announced. "FOOLISH HEDGEHOGS SHOULD NOT INTERFERE WITH MILITARY MANEUVERS."

"Not my fault you guys are taking too long," the hedgehog said as kicked the two soldiers to knock them out.

"PATIENCE IS REQUIRED FOR PACKAGES. NOW RETURN TO THE SAFETY OF THE CHAOTIX…" An explosion from Menagerie got the attention of both robot and Mobian. Espio's purple body flew out of the third story window and crashed roughly into the battlefield, the chameleon's scales smoking as he groaned in pain. A black blur followed, Shadow landing on the ground nearby looking none the worse for his encounter with the ninja.

"Espio!" a worried Mighty called from where he and the others stood. Worry turned to anger as the armadillo glared at the ebony hedgehog. "Amy, watch the kids."

"What are you doing?" the pink hedgehog asked as Mighty began to move. The furious gangster looked back at her.

"What do you think? I'm going to kick this guy's ass for what he did to my friend." Mighty ran out, once more stripping off his jacket and slipping on a pair of brass knuckles in his pockets. Shadow watched the red and yellow creature's rapid approach, a sneer on his face.

"All I want is my brother," he stated evenly, though his eyes said quite plainly his patience was at an end. "Which means the rest of you can just DIE!" Shadow charged forward, meeting Mighty head on. Mighty's fist swung hard, breaking through Shadow's defenses with ease. The Gray Dusk emerald shifted his body into a more evasive position, avoiding Mighty's attack rather than blocking it. It was now Mighty's turn to sneer as his missed punch still connected with the ground, shattering the concrete pavement with the force of his blow.

"Running scared, huh? Well too bad, it's too late for you to scurry off and hide," Mighty growled. Again Mighty swung a powerful fist, but again Shadow moved to evade, using his forearm to push aside the armadillo's punch. Before the Chaotix enforcer could recover, Shadow began his own assault, hitting Mighty with a quick strike from his palm to the chest and pushing the Mobian back. Mighty rubbed his now very sore ribs, glowering at Shadow.

"I see. You are very strong," Shadow surmised, then pointed back to the hurt Espio, "and your partner was very fast. The problem is, he was not very strong… and you," Shadow smiled nastily at Mighty, "are not very fast." In a display reminiscent of Sonic, the black hedgehog disappeared in a blur of speed. Before Mighty could react, Shadow struck, jabbing Mighty in the kidneys hard before disappearing. The armadillo fought off the pain and pulled himself into a defensive position, a rare occurrence for him. Shadow continued. "I, on the other hand," a kick suddenly landed at the base of Mighty's skull, throwing him forward before he turned around to try to retaliate at thin air, "am both very fast," a searing pain raced across Mighty's leg, blood spraying as hedgehog quills tore through his pants and skin before he could defend himself, "and very strong." Mighty collapsed to his knees, his leg unable to support his wait, just in time for Shadow to catch his chin with an uppercut, sprawling the armadillo on the ground. As Mighty tried to struggle back into a standing position, his progress was halted by Shadow's foot stepping roughly on his ribcage. "Looks like you're the one who should have scurried off Mobian." Shadow raised his fist for a finishing strike, only to grunt as a large hammer slammed into him from the side, knocking him off the armadillo.

Shadow's body twisted in the air, allowing him to land on his hands and feet, glaring back at his still prone enemy. Amy stood over Mighty in a protective stance, her pink hammer at the ready as she stared Shadow.

"So Snively wasn't telling stories," the hedgehog whispered, a grin appearing on his face. "You really do have the Piko-Piko hammer."

"Mighty are you all right?" Amy asked, casting a glance back at her new charge, who proceeded to groan. As she did, a bit of light glinted of the Warrior's Feather in her quills.

'_Then that means that gaudy thing in her hair must be the Rose Morning chaos emerald. But why can't I sense it?'_ Shadow considered as he stared at the girl. '_If all she can do is activate that hammer, maybe Rose Morning has not fully awakened. If that's the case…'_ Shadow willed his own powers forth. If he could disrupt the girl's connection to her stone, the hammer would become a non-issue and it would be child's play to reclaim his sibling.

Hammer met fist, Shadow grating his teeth as the chaotic energies clashed against each other, but his concentration remained unbroken as he channeled his powers into the weapon. With a loud pop the hammer exploded, blasting both hedgehogs backwards, landing roughly a few feet from each other. Amy shook her head, her ears ringing from the hammer's impromptu explosion. Her pain intensified as Shadow struck, ripping the Warrior's Feather from the girl's quills.

"Well wonders never cease," Shadow said as he crushed the gold setting and the feather, saving only the pink jewel for himself. "I came here seeking one emerald, and here I find another."

"Hey!" Amy cried, holding her head where Shadow had ripped out some quills along with the hair clip. "That was a family heirloom, you jerk." The pink hedgehog glanced in sorrow at the ruined gold clip and destroyed feather. The ebony hedgehog sneered.

"It was in my family long before yours, pinky," he retorted. "But thank you all the same. I probably would have had to turn this city upside down looking for Rose Morning." With that Shadow turned from the pink hedgehog. "And now, for my true quarr-Y!" As soon as the black hedgehog's back had turned, Amy had sprung forward, tackling Shadow to the ground and knocking the pink gem from his hand. Quickly she scrambled over the fallen villain, hoping to reclaim the emerald and thus her hammer. Shadow was just as quick, twisting on the ground to get hold of the nurse before throwing her off him. "Stupid girl," Shadow growled as he flipped back to his feet, eyes aglow with a dark light. "You just made a fatal mistake!"

"Lotta that goin' around," Vector said, standing beside where Amy had been so carelessly tossed. The barrels of his gun began to spin as it spat out rapid-fire bullets. Shadow arms reflexively covered his head as the first wave of bullets struck him, the force of the combined velocity knocking the relatively lightweight creature back into a wall. "You okay Ms. Rose?" the croc asked as he helped the girl to her feet.

"Bruised but okay," Amy said, revealing the pink emerald she'd grabbed.

"You scaly handbag," Shadow growled as the smoke around him dissipated. The Gatling gun had done a number on the hedgehog's outfit, his jacket now in tatters, his shirt and pants full of holes. But no one could miss the fact that, aside from a few cuts and small trickles of blood, his body was undamaged. "I really, REALLY liked that jacket." Shadow tore the ruined garment from his shoulders, the red leather duster falling heavily to the ground. "Fine. Enough of this deception and subterfuge. If you fools don't have the decency to lie down and die, then I'll just squash you all." Shadow's hands glowed brightly as the debris around him shook violently. In her hands, Amy's hammer appeared again as Vector steadied his gun and fired.

Shadow moved quick, dodging the bullets this time as he charged at Vector. Amy readied to repulse the hedgehog, but her hammer missed as he vaulted over her head. Vector swung his gun, trying to club his attacker with the heavy weapon, but Shadow's hands sliced through the barrels of the gun, sending the metal tubes clattering to the ground. Shadow pressed his assault, stabbing at the mob boss with his glowing fingers. The lizard's lithe body backed away, avoiding the assault even as Vector's tail swung in to try to sweep the hedgehog's legs. Shadow back flipped, allowing him to avoid not only the scaly tail but also the hammer Amy swung again. With a hard shove, Shadow sent the pink hedgehog crashing into Vector, knocking them both to the ground.

"Amy!" Manic screamed, attracting the attention of Shadow. Behind the green hedgehog Tails stood, his blue eyes widening as he was spotted by the emerald avatar. A smile broke over Shadow's face.

"I forget myself. I did come here for you first and foremost," the dark hedgehog said, charging forward.

"Manic, Sonia, run!" Amy cried. Instantly the two hedgehoglets broke cover, Manic grabbing hold of Tails as they ran. Shadow was quicker though, cutting off the three of them before they could make any distance.

"Not so fast."

"Someone say fast?" Sonic asked as he plowed into the monster with his elbow. Shadow's feet dug into the pavement as he pushed against Sonic's assault.

"You again," he grunted. "I thought you were busy with the humans?"

"What can I say, I see a big bully picking on my brother and sister, and I just drop everything."

"Ah, the 'big brother' instinct," chuckled Shadow, twisting his hip for a kick at Sonic's ribs. The speedy hedgehog moved to block the kick, grunting a bit as he felt the strike's force. "Impressive. Even that chameleon wasn't fast enough to block my kick."

"Yeah I'm just full of surprises," Sonic wheezed out. "Like this one." Suddenly Sonic dropped to his hands, spinning around as he swept Shadow's legs. Shadow's arm shot out as he rolled with the force of the sweep, pulling himself to his hands and knees. Like lightning Sonic kicked, catching Shadow in the chin, but without the black hedgehog getting the blue one's ankle. Wrenching the younger hedgehog off his feet, Shadow threw Sonic away from him, buying some distance from his opponent.

"You are a fun opponent, I will admit to that," Shadow said. "But I don't have time for fun. Chaos Spear!" The emerald avatar released a shaft of dark energy at his opponent. Sonic saw it coming, his reflexes taking over as he moved out of the way and thereby avoided the blast.

"What the hell was that?" Sonic yelled, looking from the ebony hedgehog to the

smoking crater. More dark energy danced around Shadow as his arm crossed over his chest.

"Power; raw, untamed, and unstoppable. Chaos Spear!" With a snap of his fingers, Shadow sent another shaft of energy at Sonic. Again the azure hedgehog moved, narrowly avoiding the explosive blast.

"Gonna have to be better than that, Shadow," Sonic said. Shadow grinned maliciously.

"You may be agile enough to avoid being scorched, mobian, but are they?" the evil hedgehog asked, eyes darting over to where the children still stood as he drew his arm up. "Chaos Spear!" Sonia grabbed hold of Manic as she saw the projectile heading straight for them.

"NO!" Sonic's feet revved up as he raced to intercept the energy missile. The chaos spear exploded just as the blue hedgehog reached it, blasting Sonic backwards as he clutched his injured torso. In an instant his siblings were on him.

"Sonic," Sonia cried, trying to see if her brother had been burned.

"Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay," Manic pleaded as he too looked over his fallen elder sibling. With a groan, Sonic worked himself into a sitting position, trying to get back to his feet. Soon Shadow was walking towards the three hedgehogs, malice in his eyes as Manic left his brother's side to try to stand between the emerald avatar and Sonic.

"You shouldn't have gotten involved in this, hedgehog," Shadow said as he stood before the three, black lightning dancing around him. "Now it's time for you to disappear. Chaos…"

"Chaos Spear!" A pulse of gold light slammed into Shadow, the explosion throwing him from his feet. Growling and snarling Shadow got back to his feet, his features once more twisted in fury.

"What was…?" The hedgehog's tirade ended abruptly as he saw his attacker.

Tails's body glowed with golden yellow energy, the gem at his neck brilliant in the darkness of the night. Though the cub still looked rather scared, this was rather effectively mitigated by the fact that his eyes were practically glowing.

"Leave my friends alone Shadow," the cub commanded, his voice trying to sound forceful, and helped significantly by the rather loud echo that seemed to be accompanying it. "Chaos Spear!" Another blast of topaz energy left Tails's hands, streaking towards Shadow. Quickly the black hedgehog countered with his own power. He was quite surprised as the two attacks met with an explosion, the yellowish-orange one enveloping the gray with ease as it sent Cyberon's agent tumbling backwards. Now it was Shadow's turn to show some fear as he recognized his peril.

'_This… This is impossible,'_ he thought as he took a step back. _'The calculations… his powers shouldn't have progressed this far.'_ Shadow reached into his pants' pocket, thumbing the small device he'd been carrying. _'I… I have to end this, now. Before C2 gets any further out of hand.'_ Quickly he touched the communication piece in his ear.

"Shadow to all units. Concentrate fire on C2, now."

"Didn't we have orders not to fire on the target?" the radio crackled back.

"I am rescinding that order, soldier," Shadow said, a hint of desperation in his voice. "I need him distracted, now! Fire with whatever ordinance you have." Like a black ghost Tails's cloak rose up, surrounding the boy in a protective barrier as bullets rained down on him. In the heat of the battle the Chaotix returned fire, but with their own friends so close, they were unable to force the humans off the attack. What the mobians were unable to do, however, Tails was, his cloak periodically parting to send and explosive chaos spear towards his attackers.

Shadow pushed forward, ignoring the sudden soreness in his leg as he pulled the small device Robotnik had given him before starting this mission, a machine that would nullify the fox's emerald. Summoning his own powers, Shadow used his free hand to slice through the cloth of Tails's cloak, penetrating the barrier with far more efficiency than the bullets.

"All right C2 it's time to end thi..." Shadow's eyes widened as he sensed the power welling up in the fox's body. "Crap," he said as the device fell from his hand. Quickly Shadow pulled his hands up in a defensive position as he screamed into his headset. "Fall back, fall back!"

Tails was practically shining now as the chaotic energy built up in and around him, seeking release. And release was what it found.

"Chaos… blast," the cub whispered. With a deafening roar a torrent of power was expelled from the fox, a sphere of energy that began to annihilate everything in its path. Chaotix and soldier saw what was coming and took cover, those that couldn't getting sent flying like ragdolls.

"What the hell's going on?!" Vector yelled as he grabbed hold of Charmy to keep the bee from being caught in the wind. The croc grunted as the perimeter of the energy sphere enveloped him, his scales aflame as the energy buffeted him from all sides. Beneath his feet the cement cracked, knocking the mob boss to his knees.

"Vec-Vector," Charmy cried, the energy permeating him despite the lizard's attempt to shield him. Reptilian eyes cast upon the source of the attack, the young cub that only hours ago had been nearly catatonic with fear.

_'Good Lord… This is… this is like what he did to that egg hunter. Only now he's doing it to us,'_ Vector thought. _'He's going to kill us all if someone doesn't stop him.'_

"Omega! Take him out!" Vector yelled, pointing at the fox. From over by the wreckage of the vans that had suffered under the first assault of the blast, E-123 Omega stood shakily, its body rattling noisily as it fought against the alien forces attacking it.

"AMBIENT… ENERGY LE-LE-LEVELS SPIKING DANGEROUSLY," the machine warned as it tried to lock on its target with its arm cannon. "UNIT'S STRUCTURE SUFFERING INSTENSE INSTABILITY. TARGETING… SYSTEM COMPROMISED." Omega was visibly shaking, his metal armor clacking and twisting as the robot was caught in the torrent of chaotic energy. Sparks of electricity crackled around the combat unit as wires overloaded and broke, depriving parts of the machine of needed power. The sudden explosion of one of Omega's eyes was not lost on Charmy.

"No!" the bee cried. "Omega, get out of here before he destroys y…" Vector's hand clasped over the boy's mouth, silencing him.

"Belay that order. Fire!" Omega obeyed, firing off its missile just as its arm exploded, the shrapnel made of its own armor lancing back through its weakened body.

The missile flew, heading straight for Tails. The projectile got within no more than five feet of the cub before it exploded under the assault of the chaos emerald, the force generated by it turned back from the fox.

At the heart of the blast Shadow poured his energy into defending against Tails's assault, but it was clear he was on the losing side of this battle. His gloves had been destroyed, and already the skin of his left hand was peeling away, revealing the techno-organic circuitry underneath. Circuitry that was smoking as it overloaded under the strain of the attack.

_'I can't keep this up. I've used too much of my energy to match C2,'_ the desperate construct thought. His eyes cast about, soon landing on where Sonic lay with Manic and Sonia. While the rest of the area seemed in turmoil, the few feet of land the three hedgehogs occupied seemed undisturbed. Further off Amy was getting the same consideration, a fact she was using as she held onto the still prone forms of Mighty and Espio. Gritting his teeth, Shadow shifted his weight around, sure to keep his focus before him. _'If I can make over to those hedgehogs, C2 won't dare turn his full power in my direction. Then it's just a matter of waiting him out.'_ With that thought, Shadow took a step backwards, only to stop as the energies being directed against him intensified.

"Dammit C2, stop this," Shadow growled in anger, fighting back for all he was worth. "You're not strong enough to keep this up, and when you fall, I'll destroy everyone here."

"Leave… Leave… Leave my friends… ALONE!" Before Shadow's eyes the blast of energy renewed itself, as strong and as intense as before. His own reserves spent the black hedgehog had nothing left to reinforce his own powers.

"No, this can't be happening," he cried as bone and muscle flew from his body. "No. I… I am the Gray Dusk Chaos Emerald. I cannot be defeated by a stripling. NO!" Shadow's body was thrown into the air like a rocket, riding the final waves of chaos energy as it launched him past the Menagerie and away from the battle.

The threat of the Cyberon agent dealt with, the chaos blast began to die, the battlefield slowly settling. Sonic's assessment of the soldiers had been correct; Cyberon had not been completely forthcoming about their target. Additionally General Haron had been loath to allow Dr. Robotnik to potentially sacrifice valuable men he might later have need of, and thus had sent along more or less green troops. With Tails's display of power now ended, those soldiers that had survived the attack decided that now was the time for discretion to be the better part of valor.

As the soldiers ran for it, the survivors of the Chaotix defenders too picked themselves up, giving a cheer at their apparent victory. The cheer was soon cut off as the sound of sirens were heard, heralding the imminent arrival of the police. From where he had fallen with Charmy, Vector regained his footing, glad that the ground was no longer shaking beneath him.

"Everyone, we're pulling out," he yelled in a commanding voice as the mobians began to gather their injured comrades, moving around their headquarters to their own vehicles. "Get everyone up and out of here, we're not leaving anyone behind for the cops to nab." Amy watched as three of the gangsters took custody of Espio and Mighty, though they didn't bother to ask her if she needed any help. Pocketing the remains of her family heirloom, Amy walked over to Sonic and his siblings.

"Can you move Sonic?" she asked as the two younger hedgehogs helped their brother to his feet.

"Yeah, I think so," the blue hedgehog said, hand crossing his stomach where Shadow's spear had hit him. "Probably gonna be extra tenderized for a bit, and maybe glow in the dark, but otherwise fi-AYE!" Sonia was quick catch her faltering sibling as his leg crumpled beneath him.

"Hurry up you four, we don't have much time," Vector ordered. The croc then looked over at Tails. Having spent so much energy, the kit had collapsed where he stood, panting heavily as exhaustion began to overtake him. An unpleasant look crossed the crime boss's face. Having witnessed firsthand the power the boy possessed had set in motion certain concerns in lizard's brain, primary of which was how much danger they'd found themselves in because of this cub. Hiding from Cyberon was one thing, but if they were literally carrying a bomb around with them…

_'And at the same time I can't just leave him here. If he's this dangerous on his own, I don't want to think of what a nut job like Snively plans to do with him.'_ Making his decision, Vector grabbed hold of the cub by the scruff of his neck, holding Tails at arm's length as he carried the boy.

In moments several cars pulled their way up through the cracked and damaged parking lot. The mobians quickly got into their vehicles, rolling out in different directions to avoid the incoming police cruisers.

* * *

"Ah… AH," Shadow groaned. The black hedgehog lay in an alley, his landing point after being blasted away by Tails. It had been a rough landing to say the least, as evidenced by the metal rod that had been impaled through his chest, and the fence wire that was now tangled rather nastily around his broken leg. His fur and skin were scorched, the techno-organic circuitry of his body exposed to the elements and soaking in his own blood.

Grunting, the hedgehog tried to remove the rod with his remaining arm, weak sparks of gray energy crackling about the wound as he tried to heal himself.

"Blast that fox…" Shadow growled, the stubborn rod not budging as his shaking arm pulled. "How… How could have beaten me?"

"Because you are a weak, pathetic faker," another voice said as a figure stepped into the alley. Shadow's eyes widened as he spotted the interloper.

"You," he said with a hint of fear in his voice, followed by desperation. "Please, help me. I… I just need a bit of chaos energy… and I can heal myself."

"And why should I do that, B? For a failure like you?"

"C2… He did this to me. The… The Doctor's calculations… they were off. He's… become… too powerful."

"For you maybe," the figure sniffed, approaching in the darkness. "No, if he is as powerful as you say, I don't believe I shall be wasting my energies on you."

"You can't just leave me here like this," Shadow said as the figure walked into the dim light to reveal himself to be… Shadow, hale and hearty as compared to the currently mangled version lying helplessly on the ground. A wicked smirk spread across the new hedgehog's face as he heard his doppelganger's words.

"Of that we both agree," he said as familiar gray energy encircled his hand. The first Shadow's eyes widened as he held up his hand.

"Wait… No… Mercy…" he stammered.

"As you wish," the second Shadow said. "Chaos Spear." Power enveloped the injured Shadow as he cried out, his wounded body unable to cope with the assault. In seconds all that was left of the savaged hedgehog was smoldering ash.

"Well, that seemed a bit extreme," Robotnik's voice commented from wristwatch of the still living Shadow.

"It was no less than what that _clone_ deserved," Shadow said, practically spitting the word "clone" out as though it were an insult. Silently the emerald avatar trod over to the ruined remains of his counterpart, gloved hand sifting through the smoldering ashes. Finally he found what he was looking for; a small crystal of a dull gray color, save for a single spark of energy residing within it. Lifting the jewel, Shadow placed it in his mouth and swallowed. "There, much more efficient than wasting time with interrogation."

"You are far too flippant in your attitude," Robotnik chided his minion.

"An ethics speech from you, Doctor? Don't make me laugh."

"More a cautionary tale, A. One wouldn't wish to tempt fate now, would one?" the class A clone shuddered at his master's use of his proper designation, a subconscious effect of the conditioning all the clones underwent. "Well, this unpleasantness aside, return Cyberon."

"As you command Doctor."

To be continued…


End file.
